Jesus had no tolerance for this …

E-Harmony, a premier online dating service, has a 19-question lie detection scale which is, according to the Wall Street Journal, “designed to weed out applicants who try to paint too rosy a picture of themselves. People who claim they always obey the speed limit, never get angry and always keep their house tidy, might get tagged as dishonest by the software.”

Pretense interferes with the formation of an honest relationship, so no wonder E-Harmony would try to sift it out. Pretense is also something Jesus had no tolerance for. God wants us saved, not pretending like we are or wasting time with pretense about the matter. With Jesus, you were either for Him or against Him, in or out, He allowed no room for feet-dragging, posturing, or pretending …

“Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one,” Matthew 5:37.

“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God,'” Matthew 15:7-9.

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs — beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness,” Matthew 23:27-28.

“As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.’ He said to another person, ‘Come, follow me.’ The man agreed, but he said, ‘Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.’ But Jesus told him, ‘Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.’ Another said, ‘Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.’ But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God,” Luke 9:57-62.

“But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. Then Peter said, ‘Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!’ As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified,” Acts 5:1-6.

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So I advise you to buy gold from me — gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference,” Revelation 3:15-19.

One story in the Bible that always stood out to me is the one about the “rich young ruler” …

“Someone came to Jesus with this question: ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ … Jesus told him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions,” Matthew 19:16, 21-22.

Notice that when the man decided to walk away, Jesus did not chase after Him, try to persuade him. or attempt to negotiate with him. Jesus provided him with what he needed to know, and the man made a decision to walk away. Jesus let him, because with our Lord we are either in or out, He does not entertain pretense!

What does that mean regarding your relationship with Jesus? Is it settled and solid, or are you trying to be pretentious with Jesus?

Scotty