On a ship at sea the captain wrote in the log one morning, “The first mate was drunk last night.” When the mate complained to his superior that he didn’t have to record his misdeed, the captain assured him that so long as something was true it may be entered in the log. The next morning the first mate wrote in the log, “The captain was sober last night.”

The minister of a church might take a dim view of a notice in the bulletin, “The preacher prepared for his sermon this week.” A teacher would understandably be taken aback if the principal reported to the superintendent that “Mrs. Allen met her classes on time today.”

Statements might be true and yet be misleading. Since carpentry was not an honorific trade in Jesus’ time as it is today, Matthew may have been covering for Jesus when he recorded that he was the son of a carpenter, altering Mark’s candid statement that Jesus was a carpenter. Matthew’s statement is true, but it withholds from the reader a more significant fact -- that Jesus was himself a carpenter.

The fallacy of the half-truth is often close to where we live. The obese person is often judged as a slob, undisciplined and irresponsible, when in fact she may be more disciplined than her critics. While it is true that she is grossly overweight, it may be caused by a health problem beyond her control. It is like the dear sister who seems always to be late to church. We suppose she should better order her time until we learn that she has a very uncooperative husband who is demanding of her time, and that she does well to get the children and herself to church at all.

Whatever the issue, whether the character of Richard Nixon, the war in Iraq, or the ethics of abortion, there are complexities that might escape us. It is often difficult, if not impossible, to have all the facts. There is wisdom, and perhaps the Christian spirit, in the adage, “Always reflect, never deny, seldom affirm.” There is also wisdom in the urging of a Scottish divine: “Consider, sir, by the bowels of Christ, that you might be wrong.” I think of the Christian Zionists who are confident that they have the right take on the Old Testament prophecies. They know too much!

This is one reason why our Lord tells us, “Judge not” - -- we do not have all the facts. Even those who don robes and judge from the bench are careful to make distinctions -- such as between the thief who steals for drugs and sex and the one who steals to feed his family. It is true that they are both thieves and guilty before the law, but facts make their cases different. I grew up hearing the story of the girl who was ashamed of her mothers’ hands -- until she learned they were scarred by saving her from the fire when a child.

Believing a half-truth was the problem with the one-talent man in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. Unlike the multiple-talented men in the story, he buried his talent so he could safely return it to his master with no loss. When rebuked, he made the excuse, “I knew you were a hard man, reaping where you did not sow . . . so I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.” The master forthwith condemned him as wicked and slothful.

If the five-talented man represents the geniuses among us and the two-talented man the gifted, then the one-talent man represents the average person, which is where most of us are. The multiple-talented saw the larger picture. Even if the master was overbearing that did not keep them from taking advantage of their opportunity, and so they made wise investments and doubled their money. But the one-talent man was mislead by the fallacy of the half-truth. He could only see that the master was brutal and exacting, and so he was paralyzed by fear and did nothing. -- or he played it safe.

He overlooked two crucial facts. The talent he was given -- a lot of money -- was a gift from God, a rare opportunity. God would have empowered him to make the best of his windfall. He cowered in fear and backed off because he saw only one side of the picture, a half-truth, that he was dealing with a ruthless business man. The other fact that he could not see, which the other two did see, is that reality comes only through action. They acted, he didn’t. The master saw this as wicked and slothful -- a golden opportunity rejected.

To make life what it can be one has to act! No truth -- or reality -- about life has any meaning except through action. When the opportunity comes -- such as winning that girl for one’s wife -- a man has to get with it. He can’t cower in fear the girl might be hard to get. He is not to run off and bury his phone, but use it to call her and ask for a date.

Our Lord says the kingdom of God is like this story. We can easily miss its point. The only truth there is is the whole truth, and half-truth is not the truth. And that truth -- as manifested in the kingdom of God -- is realized only by action. In this story the multiple-talented acted -- each one “went and traded” -- while the one-talented hid under his desk. He may have been sincere, but he saw only half the picture, that he was dealing with an austere man. He didn’t see the potential within himself, that he could step out in faith and act, and that God would help him and that he could win.

The parable is telling us we are to step out in faith and enter the kingdom of God, even if with violence. We are to take chances and be willing to get our nose bloodied, if need be. Painful sacrifice may be involved in “going and trading,” but the reward is great. We are not to be hoodwinked by a half-truth by believing the negative. We are not to hide under the pew. It is only when we lose our life that we gain it. To get in one has to act!

Notes

While we are no longer in the book business as we once were, we still handle three books that I have authored.

The Stone-Campbell Movement: The Story of the American Restoration Movement, by Leroy Garrett, $38

A Lover’s Quarrel: My Pilgrimage of Freedom in Churches of Christ, An autobiography by Leroy Garrett, $15

Our Heritage In Unity And Fellowship: Essays by Carl Ketcherside and Leroy Garrett, edited by Cecil Hook. $17

Prices include postage. Send check and postal address to me at 1300 Woodlake Dr., Denton, TX 76210

All these essays are available at leroygarrett.org Names are added upon request.