What to do or say when people are speaking lies about you or when they believe things about you that are not true.

Ever walked into a familiar room but realise straight away that something isn’t right? It doesn’t feel like the same room and then you realise the picture on the wall has dropped at one end. A small distortion of the truth, a simple stretching of the truth, an exaggeration of what really happened and then passed on in the whispering gossip channels and before long it is out of control and you cannot stop it nor defend your position. What do you do?

Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.” (Matthew 27 v 11-14)

Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge. Pilate was amazed and so are we because we know how hard that is to do.

It is so difficult when people are speaking lies about you or when they believe things about you that are not true.

Here is what I have come to believe:

• What is spoken against you is not as established as it may look.
• What is spoken to you about someone else is not the evidence of the reality.
• The lie against you can lead you into the destiny God has for you, it can become a servant.
• It takes wisdom to dissect a lie.
• It takes courage to walk through a lie.

I have found the above 5 statements of great comfort to me.

But what does Jesus give us in this passage?

I believe He would say. Let the liars have their day. There are moments when what you say is not as important as what is being said about you. Resist all attempts to defend yourself. You have nothing to hide.

“You have said so,” Jesus replied

That is his reply.

Let the liars speak. We serve the ‘I am the Way, the TRUTH and the Life’.