Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
"Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him."
Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?"
John 1:47-48
My children used to like to say this word just to pronounce it. Duplicitous, or even better, duplicitousness is quite a mouthful of letters for a young one, and they sound so smart when they use the word. But let's not deceive ourselves, because we do not want to be duplicitous, which is fraudulent and double-dealing, when we are on our life's journey. As Jesus saw the state of Nathaniel's soul, Nathaniel was puzzled as to how Jesus knew him. Jesus knows all of us intimately, and sees our souls, our intentions, and our states in life. Would we be puzzled if Jesus pointed out areas in our lives where we fudge a little here or there in the truth or in the telling of the truth? Let's not forget that there is much honor in integrity and truth, and lately that seems to be overlooked. We can start to strive for a solicitous life, instead of a duplicitous one, by reviewing our habits and tendencies, and asking God for the courage to give up what draws us away from Him, and the conviction to strive to be better disciples of Jesus.
