Sometimes I just want to say whatever I damn well feel like saying.
Why? Because I have thoughts and opinions. Because it feels good to speak my mind. And because I can. Freedom of speech is protected under the U.S. Constitution, and as an American I’ll make the most of that First Amendment, thank you very much.
Jesus didn’t enjoy such freedom of speech under the government of his day. The Roman Empire, notoriously, was not too keen on citizens saying whatever they felt like saying. There were swift and harsh punishments. So for that contrast I am deeply grateful. I feel profoundly blessed to be an American. For this and many other reasons, I’d rather live in no other country at no other time thus far in human history.
But Jesus also didn’t enjoy such freedoms under the government of his Father. As he puts it, “I did not speak on my own,” and “Whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” In yielding to the will and rule of his Father, he gave up his rights to simply say whatever he wanted to say. Elsewhere he also gives warnings about words: “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.” Sometimes the evil in your heart is best kept in your heart rather than bringing it to life through saying it out loud.
When it comes to free speech, it seems as though the U.S. Constitution actually gives me a much wider berth than Jesus does. The Constitution says, “Say whatever you like.” (Short of hate speech, of course). Jesus says, by his example, “Say only whatever the Father tells you to say.”
So I suppose I have a decision to make: Is my core identity as an American, or as a disciple of Jesus? Is my main allegiance to my country or to the Kingdom of God? Is the primary document that informs how I live the Constitution or the Gospels? Am I willing to give up some of my country-given rights in order to live a God-given life?
Perhaps a litmus for gauging my real answer is the way I talk.
