CAN YOU HANDLE THE TRUTH?

By Dr. M. R. Dowler

Today we visit Hollywood and the truth, two subjects you wouldn’t normally associate together. The media has been covering the recent Academy Awards, not so much for the actual awards but rather more for the controversial statements of the host. However, on the noble end of the motion picture industry we cite the American Film Institute (AFI), a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving motion picture heritage for future generations. The AFI categorizes the top movies into genres, as well as collecting notable facts from the movies. One such AFI collection is the 100 most memorable movie quotes.

Time and space does not permit a listing of all 100 quotes, but here is a small sampling---#2 “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse” (The Godfather, 1972); #6 “Go ahead, make my day” (Sudden Impact, 1983); #8 “May the force be with you” (Star Wars, 1977); #23 “There’s no place like home” (The Wizard of Oz, 1939). I won’t mention the #1 quote, suffice to say it was the next to the last line in the classic 1939 film Gone With the Wind. However, I’d like to focus on the #29 quote, Jack Nicholson’s famous rant, “You can’t handle the truth!” (A Few Good Men, 1992).

The Hebrew word for truth is “emet” which interestingly contains the first, middle and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet and points to the elements that form life, character and theology itself. The word emet comes from the Hebrew verb “aman” which means to support. Think of the foundation of a building supporting the weight of the structure. The stability of the structure is only as good as the strength and endurance of the foundation.

We welcome standards in most areas of our lives. We use standards, or rules of conduct (AKA truth) in our everyday interactions. Trouble is---our standards change. But God’s standards---His absolute truth never changes. The Lord Jesus Christ, through His eternal Word is the source of all absolute truth (John 14:7; 17:17). In fact Jesus Himself referred to God the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17; 16:13). So the theological challenge today is---Can you handle the truth? Do you even know the absolute truth? You definitely won’t find it in Hollywood (or Washington DC). The absolute truth is as close as the Holy Bible. Check it out…it can change your life. Think about it.