Are You Ready for the Truth?
- Raymond Melendez
- May 1
- 3 min read
Across both the legal and spiritual arenas, readiness plays a defining role in how the truth is received and acted upon. In contemporary America, institutions face increasing scrutiny over issues of discrimination, retaliation, and free speech. We will highlight how justice and truth are often clouded by internal resistance and how the world is unprepared for reform. Similarly, in Matthew 11 and 13, Jesus reveals that God's revelation requires more than intellectual awareness—one must be prepared. The world must be prepared to truly see, hear, and understand Christ. Just as institutions struggle to respond without a foundational commitment to integrity, the world cannot grasp Jesus' message without being prepared to receive it. In both realms, truth is not merely present—its recipients are prepared.
Truth Is Confronted: Retaliation, Rejection, and Accountability
Whether in ancient times or modern institutions, truth often provokes resistance rather than repentance. In Matthew 11, Jesus highlights how both he and John the Baptist were rejected—because not everyone was ready to hear the truth. John’s call to repentance led to his imprisonment, symbolizing the world’s tendency to silence those who recall God's laws. Similarly, in the present day, allegations against Fox News reveal a pattern of retaliation after racial discrimination was brought to light. The network’s delayed response triggered more scrutiny. It mirrors the same pattern Jesus described: the world often retaliates when power is challenged. Both stories underscore a sobering reality: when power is challenged, the world is also unprepared (Folkenflik).
Cultivating Integrity: Truth Withers Without Readiness
In life, the fate of truth depends on the condition of the ground it falls upon. Jesus' Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 illustrates that the word of God bears fruit in prepared soil. The truth is often heard but not understood, seen but not accepted. A similar principle emerges in the case against the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, where a former employee claims she was punished for confronting injustice within an agency tasked with fighting discrimination. Like seed falling on soil, her efforts to sow reform were allegedly met with resistance and retaliation. The lesson is clear: whether in faith or governance, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness." Scriptures not only speak of God, but they also prepare the world for reform.
Freedom to Hear: Truth Invites and the World Resists
Freedom is in a world that is prepared. In Matthew 11, Jesus offers rest to the weary; his yoke is easy and his burden is light—not because the path is effortless but because he adjusts the weight to suit our needs. He doesn't condemn but understands and offers to prepare the way. Yet, just as Jesus’ message was often rejected, today’s society often struggles with it when it challenges authority (Willard). The recent free speech lawsuit at Oklahoma State University reveals a similar tension: the balance between protecting expression and guarding against harm. While the settlement was celebrated by advocates for open dialogue, others warn it may silence the defenseless or unprotected. Today’s campus controversies raise the enduring question: Are we not only free to speak, but are we ready to listen?
At the Crossroads of Truth: Reckoning and Readiness
In both society and scripture, the understanding of truth hinges on the condition of being ready for it. Across courtrooms and campuses, recent legal battles expose a troubling reality: when individuals confront injustice, they are often met with resistance or retaliation. These cases challenge the world to decide—will it trust God or resist and retaliate? Jesus also makes it clear in Matthew 11 and 13 that unless the world is prepared, no spoken word nor Holy Scriptures will save it. Yet, truth overcomes. Whether in the face of lawsuits or rejection of prophets, God's word endures. So as we uphold the truth, the one spoken of by the prophets and according to the Holy Scriptures, we are vindicated and reformed—sowers in a world that may not know the truth yet still sets us free when we hear it.
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