The Liar's Telling the Truth

Dear Anonymous Reader,


In between studying French phrases like "Comment allez-vous?" and "J'ai les chaussettes verts," I went searching for a song I heard for the first time at church Sunday. It's called Healer, and it's by this guy:

His name is Michael Guglielmucci, and in this video, the world believed (along with the rest of his family) that he was dying of cancer. I mean look at him, he even has that little oxygen hose thingy (which my dad lovingly told me at the dinner table was called a nasal cannula). I would've believed it.


And then I saw this video in the margin: 

Shocked? Most definitely. But I was more shocked by the fact that this happened almost three years ago, and I never heard a word of it.


As human beings, it's in our nature to be deceptive. We do it everyday. Some do it habitually in just the simple "I'm alright" to the "How are you?" when you're really not alright; you just don't wanna talk about it. Others take it a step further and feign a dying cell phone battery when you're really just tired of talking to the person on the other end. Other's go even a step further and just flat out lie, although they do sometimes follow it up with something like:

"But I have a good reason, honestly! I don't wanna hurt their feelings. It's just one little lie...you know...a white lie." ('cause lies are color coordinated. I prefer aqua marine myself)

But to go national, in a church, deceiving the world for two years about a sickness you don't really have and  write a song worshiping a healing God? I mean, that's gotta be guaranteed Hell-fire express lane, right? 


Well, I'm not qualified to make that statement, but Jesus and Peter (who lied and denied Jesus later on) did have this conversation:

Peter: "Hey Jesus! How much can my brother here treat me wrong and I forgive him? Is seven a good number?" 

Jesus: "Peter, I'm not gonna tell you seven times. How about you just go for gold and shoot for seventy times seven."

-Matthew 18:21, 22 (Paraphrased)

To which, of course, Peter promptly did the math, started ticking off his Forgive-O-Meter until it reached 490, and then let his brothers have it after that.


Yeah, right. He was no stranger to sarcasm and neither was Jesus. We all remember the speck and plank in your eyeball story (if you don't, refresh yourself with Matthew 7). 


Jesus' whole point was we just keep forgiving, which, like most things Jesus told us, go against our very nature. We're all about giving a person a second chance. Heck, maybe if we're in a charitable mood, we'll give them three chances. But since baseball's so ingrained into our society, after that, thhheeeyyy're out! 


I'll tie it back to the beginning. Promise.


I unintentionally read verse twenty of Matthew eighteen while writing this. Jesus says:

"For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."

Refer back to the Hillsong concert in vid one. See the size of that crowd? There Michael is, lying his very existence off to the world, but everyone else is there in His name, worshiping a Creator through words a liar wrote.


And I believe Jesus was there.


Maybe Michael was telling the truth in that song. Truth not only for millions who watched, but for himself. In the midst of his deepest deception was a man crying out to God.


But what about that Revelation verse that says all liars will have their part in the lake of fire? (Rev. 21:8)


Well, Michael obviously confessed his sin before the entire world he deceived. And the truth is: 

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 

The amazing thing about how God works is that through Michael's deception came a song that has ministered to millions.


That is amazing grace. That is an amazing God.


Sincerely,


-Sean