If you’ve ever worked with builders, you are familiar with a plumb line. A perfectly formed metal “bob” hangs from the end of a string. It points straight to the center of the earth and helps the builder line up his walls perpendicular to the ground. If the beginnings of a wall are not “plumb,” it will be fighting the forces of gravity and risk collapsing.
Since the beginning of civilization, we humans have been involved in building things. The most important project that we build is that of our own lives. For most of human history men have failed in their efforts to build a solid life. One of the main reasons this happened is because they did not have a “plumb line” to guide them. We see this in our own time; people are bouncing here and there trying to put their lives together, and so many time their efforts collapse. Why? Because, though they have intelligence and energy, they don’t have a plumb line.
We know that God in his mercy gave us a plumb line to make sure our lives were built “perpendicular” to the ground. St. Mark begins his gospel by introducing us to God’s plumb line (Mark 1:21-28).
“Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.”
Jesus’ teachings were “plumb” with the ground. The teachings of the scribes, though they sounded somewhat true, and maybe even interesting, were on a “slant.” Listening to Jesus, the people were astonished; it was the first time they had heard someone teach “having authority.” No wonder their lives were falling apart. They had been trying to construct their lives on distorted versions of the truth. Jesus’ words came straight from the heart of God—not filtered through the distortion of human thought.
“All were amazed and asked one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority. He command even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
When confronted with authority, evil spirits come out of hiding. They are comfortable with distorted truth. In fact the distortion of truth is one of their primary works. Face to face with authority, however, they are forced to expose themselves for who they are.
We are seeing in our day the emergence of what is termed the ministry of “deliverance.” When the name of Jesus is used with authority, evil spirits and evil influences lose their grip on people’s lives. Many testify that the freedom they received in a deliverance prayer, accomplished more than all the self-help practices that they had tried before.
Jesus promised that when he left this earth he would send another Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who would continue to do the same works on this earth that he did. One of the works of the Holy Spirit is to teach us the truth—not just doctrinal truth but the truth of God wants for us in our own life situations. St. John in his first letter reminds us that we are anointed with the Holy Spirit and, thus, do not have to depend on misguided teachers. When we call on the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus, we go straight to the living authority—the source of all truth. And, the voice of the Holy Spirit is as a plumb line that helps us build our lives on a straight course.
Are we calling on the Holy Spirit throughout each day to speak truth in our inmost being, so that we will not build our lives in vain?
“Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
