A Prophet is Not Without Honor

Many of us question the opinions of those lacking the necessary credentials. We’ve been conditioned to believe that only those in authority or with a string of academic degrees are worth listening to. Anything less is often dismissed as a conspiracy theory. But what if we were to challenge this notion and encourage critical thinking? What if we questioned the experts and their biases, empowering ourselves to think critically and not just accept information at face value?

Expert bias became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, even among Church leaders. Dr. Anthony Fauci leveraged his position and academic credentials to misinform the world repeatedly, recommending steps our country should take to minimize the spread of the virus. His supposed expertise kept his wrongdoing under wraps as the truth came out. Any scholar who disagreed with Fauci was either canceled or accused of disinformation and perpetuating conspiracy. People with common sense quickly concluded that Fauci and the government were wrong.

The lack of common sense and the rush to believe so-called experts over and beyond any other message happened when Jesus stood up in the synagogue and began to preach. The religious class at the time observed those present were astonished at Jesus’ wisdom. Immediately, they questioned Jesus’ authority by asking, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him?”

Unable to answer their questions, the immediate default was to explain the reason for not believing Jesus by recalling his human pedigree. They said, “Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?” In their minds, Jesus could not be wise nor speak of God, and they took offense at him.

Outside of curing a few people, Jesus could do no more at that place. He was amazed at their lack of faith and unwillingness to open up to God’s truth. What was lacking in those who listened to Jesus still happens today. Nevertheless, it begs the question of whether faith is essential to be open to the truth.

Using the example of St. Paul, his faith in God was strong, but he lacked trust in Jesus. St. Paul’s conversion attests to his lack of openness to the truth. His faith in the God of Israel alone accounted for his bias. St. Paul did not have an openness to the truth because he persecuted Jesus’ followers. It wasn’t until Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, spoke to him. It is from this model of accepting the truth that we can learn.

As Christians, we believe in Jesus as the source of all truth. Yet because of our fallen state, the truth is sometimes hard to decipher, and there is a tendency to question. We fail to recognize that every person’s constitution is oriented to the truth. Being created in the image of God, we are already prepared to hear the truth and act on it. Besides our likeness to the God of truth, he has also given us reason, conscience, and the ability to know the difference between good and evil through Natural Law.

We must strive not to think we cannot know the truth without outside influences. God has given us the necessary gifts that once the truth is found, it resonates in our being. With the help of the Scripture and the Tradition of the Church, the truth God wants us to know will be strengthened and grow within us.

Living in the truth means we have an innate ability to recognize and be open to it. It means we are always in need of conversion, and we can be converted daily by listening to Jesus’ words. Jesus guides us just as he did with St. Paul. Through this process, we become true disciples by following the one who is truth itself.