2 Timothy 3:1-9 "Just Gimme Some Truth"

Observation: Near the end of this second letter, Paul (or the author writing in Paul's name) warns of distressing times in the last days. The worst part of human nature will come out: selfishness, greed, dishonesty and contempt for the truth will run rampant. I'm not fond of the sexist stereotype that the predicted con artists will "make their way into households and captivate silly women." Even though in the first century more men than women had access to education, in my experience today I find men just as likely as women to be willingly led astray. What really jumps out at me in this text is the writer makes it clear that access to truth isn't the problem: it's accepting it.

Application: Reading this text, I hear John Lennon's caustic 1971 protest song, "Just Gimme Some Truth!" Although that song is 48 years old now, the feeling of deep frustration really resonates. Today, we have instant access to more information than all previous generations of humankind combined. But despite all that, white supremacy is on the rise, diseases we've had vaccines for for generations are making a comeback in supposedly "developed" countries, and Netflix has a feature-length documentary made by people who believe the earth is flat.

"All I want is some truth. Just Gimme some truth!" 

I will not disobey Jesus by speculating about whether the end times are near. It sounds from 2 Timothy as though the writer suspected they were already near in the late first century. What I will say is this: truth hasn't gone anywhere. It's our world that has changed. And for me as a follower of Jesus, this change is a call to action, not to try to change the world back to some idealized time in the past, but to hold closer to the truth I know in the Gospel. To read my Bible, for myself, a little bit each day, and let it affect the way I view myself, my neighbor and my world. To let God's truth--that every human being is made in God's image, and Jesus offered up his life for each and every one of us--guide my perceptions and my actions. To ask God, "just give me some truth," and be ready to receive it when it comes.

Prayer: God, just give me some truth. Remind me of who I am in you, and help me to be that person for the benefit of others, and for the world you gave your life to save. Amen.