Getting to the point …

Imagine if Jesus had said this: “You should come to Me in order to find your way to the Father” instead of this: “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me,'” John 14:6.

Would it have made any difference?

Yes!

The first sentence — not actually stated by Jesus — contains an element of truth. If we want to be able to have a right relationship with God, our first step is coming to Christ. However, that sentence sounds more like a suggestion, and a suggestion gives the impression there are other options.

Fortunately, what Jesus actually said, as recorded in John 14:6, is unambiguous and makes clear there is only one avenue to achieving a right relationship with God, and that is through Christ alone.

The danger of ambiguity …
While Jesus taught with great clarity, many of today’s church leaders don’t. Ambiguous statements that require greater context than what is given often comprise the content of modern biblical teaching. Such ambiguity can leave listeners or readers in the confusing position of trying to read between the lines or making assumptions of what the leader “actually meant.”

Ambiguous statements are like panning for gold: somewhere in all the mud, dirt, sand, and gravel may be a valuable nugget. The problem is leaving learners to sort through it all. Some might (and often do) mistakenly value “fool’s gold” for the real thing.

In our modern culture, ambiguous teaching is prominently projected throughout social media venues. Being limited to only so many characters that can be transmitted, quotes containing partial or contextual truths are routinely passed to thousands of “followers” or “friends.” With a click of the mouse, ambiguity — and its accompanying potential for error — is proliferated in seconds.

On the hook …
You catch a fish by wrapping something tasty looking (at least, to a fish) around a sharp hook in order to lure, pierce, and capture the prey you’re seeking.

Satan “fished” for humans in the same way in the Garden of Eden. He wrapped part of the truth of what God had said around a lie and, once bitten, snared his prey into sin.

The same thing happens today when leaders are willing to convey untruths alongside snippets of truth. While the element of truth may be snagged by followers, so are the partial truths or whole untruths that accompany the ambiguous communication. The result could be discovering you’re doing the fishing for the wrong person!

Let’s be clear …
It was common among people living in the time of the Old Testament to make a vow in an attempt to eliminate any ambiguity about their intentions. However, what the words of a vow meant to one person could mean something different to someone else. Wrapping intent in many words didn’t necessarily make things clearer. Jesus addressed that issue and gave us simple direction on how we can communicate clearly. First, He said:

“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black,” Matthew 5:33-26.

Then He added this powerful statement in verse 37: “Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.”

The direct exhortation from Jesus is to make our communication a concise statement of truth. If we say “yes,” no one should be left wondering if we possibly meant “maybe,” or even “no.” This kind of communication eliminates ambiguity.

Clever v. clear …
Too many of today’s communicators are more interested in being thought of as being clever than they are about being clear. They want to make their mark as a communicator rather than contain their communication to the effective telling of truth. One effort builds a brand, the other builds a disciple.

Scotty