No. 

He hid many of His teachings in riddles and parables. This was for many reasons, one so that people would not kill him until it was His time to die. He even hid his intentions from his own brothers. Did this make Jesus a liar?

John 7:

After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. ² Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. ³ So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. ⁴ For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” ⁵ For not even his brothers believed in him. ⁶ Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. ⁷ The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. ⁸ You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” ⁹ After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

¹⁰ But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private.

His unbelieving brothers told him to come with them. He said, “no I am not going”. After they left, he went on his own. Sounds like a lie to me, something that the tabloids or gossipers would jump on, point a finger, and claim liar! Could you imagine reading a paper from that time (if they had papers back then)?

JESUS WHO CLAIMS TO BE THE SON OF GOD LIED TO HIS BROTHERS

But this would not be the whole truth. The whole truth is that his unbelieving brothers were pushing Him to reveal Himself in a way and timing that was not the Lord’s. They were testing him.

The Devil did a similar thing while tempting Him during his 40-day fast.

Matthew 4:

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple ⁶ and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,

    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 

Jesus was not concerned with gathering glory for himself. He did not care what others thought of Him in public. He was not compelled by the timings of man. His concern was for godly things, to be about his Father’s business.

God’s Timing Does Not Satisfy Man

People were seeking to kill him in Judea. Was Jesus hiding from death then? Did He hide from it on the cross? Of course not. But at this time in His life, He had yet to even begin his ministry. Dying would have been premature. Those men in Judea would have their day once it was time for Jesus to die for our sins on the cross, but it was not yet time. 

So, his unbelieving brothers challenged him, not to hide but to come with them to Judea. They mocked him into coming out and speaking clearly. They challenged him in verses 3 and 4, saying: 

“Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 

Jesus doesn’t respond with a no. He instead speaks about the timing of things. He states in verses 6: 

“My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.”

Jesus tells us a biting truth. Our timing is always before us. I struggle with God’s timing of things in my prayers. “Lord, please handle this issue that I am having on my heart. Do it now, oh Lord. Why are you waiting to help and heal and change this situation?” 

We always want God to gratify the desires of our hearts. We want it done yesterday. God’s timing is not ours, however. Jesus continues in verses 7-9.

“The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

The last sentence reveals that He did in fact remain in Galilee, proving His statements to be true. Why then did he leave at a later time and go secretly? 

Because His time had fully come.

Bearing False Witness

The ninth commandment says in Exodus 20:16 “Thou shalt not lie.” This means we must always tell people the truth at all times when we are asked for it.

No.

That is not what the commandment says. It isn’t about lying or not lying. It is about harming a neighbor with falsehoods. Listen to the actual words here:

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

This means, do not lie against your neighbor. If someone means to harm your neighbor with falsehood, you should not partner with that falsehood. Don’t be judge, jury, and executioner based on the gossip of others. Don’t judge based on falsely spoken things.

Another way to word the ninth commandment, using Strong’s concordance, is, “You should not dwell deceitfully on how you witness so that it harms another.”

Should You Always Be Transparent?

Sometimes it is a just thing to conceal things from others. If a stranger calls a little boy at his house and asks if his parents are home, the boy should tell them “Yes,” whether they are at home or not.

If a man walks up to a young woman who is single on the subway and asks if she is alone, she should easily say, “My boyfriend is waiting for me at the next stop.”

If an abusive individual is pushing their victim to lie or bear false testimony against another… well, that’s an easy one. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Give It to God

We should all seek to please God’s timing and ways. We should not be moved by every gossiping or slandering speech. We should be in constant prayer, or as Ephesians 5:8-10 puts it:

⁸ for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰ and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 

And so, if you are ever pushed and told to do something, and yet in your heart you discern that God is telling you the opposite… tell these people that you’ve given it to God. 

In the end, God is the judge, and we can only do what we think and pray to be right. We must be prayerful and discerning, always open and seeking all that is good and right and true. We must also be open to correction if it is of the Lord. But who corrects? People who constantly gossip and slander are not good at discerning what is good and right and true unto the Lord. You shouldn’t listen to them on the deeper things of God in your life.

Find, instead, people who are constantly in prayer. 

Pushy People

Pushy slanderers do not speak for the Lord.

These types boldly rush into our lives, manipulating us into doing things before their time. In fact, how they push reminds me very much of my own selfish prayers. 

Such people say things like: “Come on! Why are you still holding on to this? Isn’t it time to let this thing go? Do this other thing instead. Do it now! You are taking way too long to make this choice. Here, let me step in and help. I’ll even make the choices for you.” 

To those pushy, unprayerful people, simply say, “If it is God’s will for me to do what you are saying, then I will do it. But at the moment I am in constant prayer over this.” Or, “I’ve given it to the Lord.” Or, “God’s timing is not our own. I can’t make a choice on this yet.” Or, “I’m waiting and praying to the Lord.” 

And if push comes to shove, you have every right to just tell them, “No.”

Conceal the deeper things that the Lord has placed upon your heart. When it is God’s time to reveal and expose them, that is when you reveal and expose. In other words, you shouldn’t always be transparent. You should instead work within the slow and steady timing of the Lord.