God sent Isaiah to faithfully proclaim the truth to people: truth that would make their hearts calloused, their ears dull, and their eyes shut (Isa. 6:8-10). Isaiah’s preaching repelled people. It drove them away; thus, Isaiah asked how long he would have to keep this up (v. 11). God told Isaiah to continue preaching the truth until the cities of Judah are destroyed and without inhabitants because the people have been sent into exile (v. 11). Isaiah was to continue preaching if even a tenth remained for God’s people would be like a tree hacked down to its stump (v. 13). Isaiah 11 shows that only after the tree was felled could a shoot one day spring up from the stump. God wanted His message preached even when seemingly everyone would resist it, defy it, and go to destruction.

When Jesus came into the world to declare the truth, He had a similar situation with certain people to whom He preached. They did not believe Him because He told the truth (Jn. 8:45). The truth was distinctly the reason why they refused to believe. So how was Jesus to respond? Did he soften up His message or offer them entertaining stories instead? No. Jesus continued making the truth known to all. He had already shown that if the multitudes left, He would not chase after them (Jn. 6:66). The few who continued to follow Him recognized, with Peter, that seeking some other teacher was futile, for Jesus had the words of eternal life (Jn. 6:68).

Jesus identified saving truth as God’s word (Jn. 17:17). Only following the truth—the word of the Lord—will make one a true disciple of Jesus and free from sin (Jn. 8:31-32).  Jesus is referred to as the Word in John 1. He is “full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14). He said plainly, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn. 14:6). That’s the exclusivity of truth: there is no other way. Forfeiting truth to please the multitudes saves no one. Preachers must continue in the doctrine if they and those to whom they preach will be saved (1 Tim. 4:16). They must preach the word even when it is “out of season” and people turn their ears from the truth (2 Tim. 4:2-4).

Those who delight in unrighteousness suppress the truth (Rom. 1:18). Their lives and words are aimed at hindering the truth of the Gospel. However, we must not give up proclaiming the truth for we know that the only way for people to be saved is to come to a knowledge of it (1 Tim. 2:4). Though some may consider us enemies because we tell them the truth (Gal. 4:16), we must continue to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). Some will not receive a love of the truth to be saved; thus, they will believe a lie and perish (2 Thess. 2:10)

God’s word will accomplish what He has intended (Isa. 55:10-11). Truth will thresh the wheat from the chaff, separating those who are honest from those who love unrighteousness. Jesus told us that even family members would be divided by whether or not to follow Him (Mt. 10:34-36). Yet, we must love and proclaim the truth even if all the world turns against us.

-Mark Day