A man without deceit

[mdgspencer]

The first thing Jesus says in the Gospel of John is to praise a man, Nathaniel, because he is without deceit(1:47). I am very puzzled as to why this characteristic is so important to Jesus, important enough so that it can be the one thing he says to praise a man. (And, in fact, I am puzzled about what living without deceit means.) I can only think that Jesus here makes a profound statement about the inner life of the soul. (And similarly in a prophecy of Christ in Isaiah, when Christ is seen as the suffering servant, we are told that "there was no deceit in his mouth(Is 53:9).) Christ is praised then like Nathaniel. Why is this quality so important?

 

[MarieVeronica]

The Oxford Dictionary definition; “deceit” “deceive”: to cause to believe something that is not true.

In John 8:44, Jesus says: “The father from whom you are is the devil, and the desires of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has not stood in truth because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie he speaks from his very nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

I think we can see pretty well, why Our Lord places such importance on truth. Deceit is something of the devil… the enemy, and has no place in the Kingdom of God.

While truth… THE TRUTH… is Jesus Himself. Hope this helps. God bless.

 

[LilyM]

The first thing Jesus says in the Gospel of John is to praise a man, Nathaniel, because he is without deceit(1:47). I am very puzzled as to why this characteristic is so important to Jesus, important enough so that it can be the one thing he says to praise a man. (And, in fact, I am puzzled about what living without deceit means.) I can only think that Jesus here makes a profound statement about the inner life of the soul. (And similarly in a prophecy of Christ in Isaiah, when Christ is seen as the suffering servant, we are told that "there was no deceit in his mouth(Is 53:9).) Christ is praised then like Nathaniel. Why is this quality so important?

What makes you think deceit is the ONLY thing or the most important thing Jesus cares about? I’d beg to differ, there’s one thing that’s far greater and far more often emphasised by Him.

Didn’t He say about the woman who poured ointment on His feet that ‘many sins are forgiven her because she has LOVED much’, and weren’t His three great commands to love God, love neighbour as oneself, and to love one another as He has loved us? Isn’t God described as being love itself, as well as truth?

 

[mdgspencer]

I agree that there are more important virtues, including of course faith, hope and charity. This is the very reason why I wonder why he praised this man for this one thing, being without deceit. And in fact, this is the first thing Jesus says in the Gospel of John.

What makes you think deceit is the ONLY thing or the most important thing Jesus cares about? I’d beg to differ, there’s one thing that’s far greater and far more often emphasised by Him.

Didn’t He say about the woman who poured ointment on His feet that ‘many sins are forgiven her because she has LOVED much’, and weren’t His three great commands to love God, love neighbour as oneself, and to love one another as He has loved us? Isn’t God described as being love itself, as well as truth?

 

[LilyM]

I agree that there are more important virtues, including of course faith, hope and charity. This is the very reason why I wonder why he praised this man for this one thing, being without deceit. And in fact, this is the first thing Jesus says in the Gospel of John.

I’d say for one thing it’s an incredibly rare one among the virtues - there are very few people I’d say are completely without deceit of any kind (including self-deceit).

For another - well, maybe he just wasn’t quite so perfect in the other virtues and Jesus was just politely praising the one virtue that DID stand out in him? Like He did with the woman and the ointment, praising her capacity to love?