Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

Why is it that some people find it easier to lie than to tell the truth? Seriously. Haven’t they figured out by now that telling a lie will come back to bite you on your backside?


I had an investigation involving a pair of brothers and their momma. They were staging accidents and causing accidents, and every time I would get their claims. About the 18th claim, I called one of the brothers in for his statement. We will change the name to protect the ignorant. We’ll call him Dufus. At the beginning of every statement, I ask benign questions for several reasons. Often times this is the only time I’d get an honest answer. I’d ask for things like name, address and phone number. I move on to a little more challenging questions such as prior addresses and who lived there with them at that time, and then I ask about prior claims. Now remember this is Dufus’ 18th claim, and I’ve handled most of them. I’ve taken his statement in person on prior occasions. I ask Dufus about his prior claims. One other thing to know is that if I ask a question, most of the time I will know the answer or have a good suspicion of the answer because I’ve done my homework, so I had a list of Dufus’ claims. Dufus looked at me and said he only had a couple of prior claims…a comprehensive claim (glass) and a vandalism claim. I sat there and looked at him. Then I stared at him. Finally, I said, “Dufus, take a good look at my face.” He looked up at me. “Does my face look the least bit familiar?” Blank. I never claimed that Dufus was bright. “Dufus, I have investigated every single claim of yours, your brother’s, and your momma’s. Now, do you remember me?” Light went on.

Don’t you feel sorry for my children?

Sometimes people think a little white lie won’t hurt anyone. Sometimes people believe that exaggerating the truth is okay too. Truth is if it isn’t the whole truth, it’s a lie. And a lie is what put Jesus on the cross among many other sins.

I’ve been reading through Acts, and in Acts 5, there is a story about Ananias and Sapphira. Ananias and Sapphira sell a piece of property, and they are going to donate the funds. In the early church this was common. People would sell things and donate the funds to the church or to the body of Christ to be doled out to help the less fortunate. So, Ananias and his wife Sapphira sell the property and decide to keep some of the proceeds. This wasn’t a bad thing nor was it a wrong thing. It would have been wrong if God had led them to sell and give it all, but we don’t see that exactly. What went wrong is Ananias and Sapphira decided to lie about holding back some of the proceeds. Ananias took the proceeds to Peter and put it at his feet. Peter tells Ananias that he hasn’t lied to man but to God. As a result of his sin, Ananias drops dead and exits stage right being carried off to be buried.

Three hours later his wife Sapphira hasn’t heard from Ananias, so she goes searching. She sees Peter, and Peter gives her the opportunity to be honest. Sapphira didn’t know what had happened to her husband, and she told Peter, Yes, that is the price. Just as the men who had buried her husband return back to the temple, Sapphira hears what happened to her husband, and she drops dead. The men carry her out the same way they did her husband.

1 Peter 4:11 says, If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. For some reason, I just don’t believe God lies because He cannot be untrue to himself. Psalm 19:14, May the words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Eccleciastes 10:12, Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious, but fools are consumed by their own lips. What comes out of the mouth pours out of your mind and heart?

Be honest, people, in all things.

Dufus and his brother went to jail. Their lies caught up with them, and your lies will catch up with you too.