You Can’t Handle the Truth!
You probably remember the scene from “A Few Good Men”. (1) One of the most iconic scenes in movie history. It’s the climax of the whole movie. Lieutenant Kaffee, played by Tom Cruise, is tasked with defending two marines charged with murder. The defense: They were ordered to do it.
In this climactic scene, Cruise has to somehow get Colonel Nathan Jessep, played by Jack Nicholson, to admit that he gave the order. Why can’t he just ask? Accusing a high-ranking officer could cost Cruise his job and career. Perhaps, even a Court-martial. Cruise’s questioning begins and we see the stress of the moment, as the camera focuses on Cruise’s shaking hand when he takes a drink of water (I love that part). So, the scene goes:
Kaffee: Colonel Jessup, did you order the Code Red?
Judge: You don’t have to answer that question!
Col. Jessup: I’ll answer the question!
Col. Jessup: [to Kaffee] You want answers?
Kaffee: I think I’m entitled to.
Col. Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee: I WANT THE TRUTH!
Col. Jessup: YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
If you’ve seen the movie, you know what happens. Col. Jessep arrogantly admits that he gave the order and is ultimately arrested for murder.
No question that “A Few Good Men” was a good, maybe even a great, movie. It was nominated for four Academy Awards. In the movie, the underlying theme is the search for truth. What really happened? And who was responsible. It’s the mystery that drives the movie. That’s what drives every good mystery: The search for truth.
While “A Few Good Men” is just a movie, our search for truth is real. The whole world is searching for truth and has been throughout history. We, as believers in Jesus Christ, know the truth. In fact, Jesus Himself said, “…the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (Jon 18:37).
If you recall the context, Jesus is being interrogated by the Roman Governor, Pilate, you know Pilate’s response. “What is truth?” (Jon 18:38), he said. Seeming to say, as many think today, that “truth” is relative. My “truth” and your “truth” may not be the same. While we certainly all have individual experiences, and those experiences impact our perspective, real “truth” is a pretty straightforward thing, isn’t it?
Is grass green? Yes or no. Is the sky blue? Yes or no. That is the simplicity of truth. Someone might sarcastically say, “What if the grass is dying or it is a cloudy day? Then green and blue aren’t ‘true’, are they? Gotcha!” We see these for what they are: Evasions. An attempt to avoid seeing the truth. Excuses really.
Jesus reveals truth in questions that must be answered. And they can’t be answered with “maybe”, or “sort of”, or “sometimes.” They need yes or no answers: Is Jesus the Son of God? Did Jesus rise from the dead? Can Jesus forgive sins?
Indeed, Jesus reveals the truth. More than that, He is the truth. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jon 14:16). More simple questions arise that need to be answered: Is Jesus the way? Is He the truth? Is He the life? As believers, we know the answer to these questions. A resounding yes!
Jesus teaches, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Jon 8:31-32). Jesus reveals the truth. He is the truth. He leads us to truth. And that truth, if we hold to His teaching, sets us free.
So why is it so hard for some to accept what seems so obvious. Is it simply that they “can’t handle the truth?” For many, they simply don’t know about Jesus. Paul writes, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?“ (Rom 10:14) What a call to share the gospel! To share our faith. People don’t know the truth. They don’t know Jesus. We simply need to take every opportunity to tell them.
Unfortunately, there are others who don’t want to know the truth. They can’t handle it. John writes, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (Jon 3:19). There are those who see the truth and haven’t accepted it. They will turn from it because they simply don’t want to submit to the truth. Are they lost? I’m sorry to say, there will be a day when their opportunity for change passes. They will no longer be able to turn to the truth. Until then, the urgency is great. We keep loving them. We keep sharing Jesus with them. We keep praying that they will see the truth, and that “the truth will set them free.”