Luke 11:53-12:3 – 6/20/2026
Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.
Luke 12:3 (NRSVue)
Jesus warns against the hypocrisy of religious leaders who preach and teach one thing and do the opposite. Why? It’s all going to come out in the end. The truth will be revealed, so no matter how much one covers their tracks or pretends to be something they are not, who they really are will shine through eventually. There is no escaping it.
This can be a scary thought that one’s true self will eventually be seen and known, that one cannot hide the genuine “me” forever. Showing one’s true self, including one’s deepest fears, highest hopes, and embarrassing weaknesses makes one vulnerable. When we hide ourselves and cover up our genuine reactions to things, we are protected from others criticism and judgment. If we are criticized or judged when we hide ourselves, we can always tell ourselves, “They don’t know who I REALLY am.” But when we are critiqued and judged for our genuine, true selves that we put out in the world, it stings. It’s as if, in those instances, we are being attacked at the very core of our being.
Getting over the fear of putting our true self out there with its weaknesses, mistakes, and vulnerabilities is immensely freeing. While it is true that the side of ourselves that we do not like is exposed for all to see, when we are truly seen for who we are and loved for it, that love is directed truly at us, not a false persona we have set up. To be loved for a self that isn’t really me is perhaps one of the most devastating feelings there is. To have that genuine warmth, care, and affection but to know it’s not directed at anything real is more damaging than any negative thing someone can think about us in our vulnerability.
The truth about who you really are is going to come out in the open eventually; the chickens always come home to roost. Jesus knew that, so he counseled his disciples to be honest about who they are and why they do what they do. The risk is worth it because to be loved for who one really is, good and bad, beautiful and ugly, is perhaps the most liberating experience one can have.
Reflections of a Dionysian Lutheran, comments on the daily readings of the Revised Common Lectionary by Justin Marquis
Dionysus on a Bike 
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