"The Goat was Pregnant"— and Other Excuses for Lying

In 1987 when we were still new missionaries living in the interior of Liberia, Mark was part of a Bible school meeting where the faculty were in the uncomfortable position of having to confront a student for lying about his school bill. When previously asked why he hadn't paid, he had said he had no money. Later it was revealed that wasn't the truth. When asked why he had lied, as part of his long and convoluted explanation he said, "The goat was pregnant." 

The goat was pregnant? Obviously Mark knew he must be missing something. It turned out the student was given a goat to sell—the money to be used to pay his bill. He thought the goat might be pregnant with twins (making it worth more), so rather than sell it as was the agreement, he lied. That mystery solved, for Mark, and eventually for me as well, "The goat was pregnant" became synonymous with a lame excuse for a lie.

While the excuse was indeed funny—especially to new missionaries who found anything to do with goats quite amusing—lying itself is anything but funny! I love the clarity of  Ephesians 4. There are several "Put off, Put On" issues presented in it, making it very easy to illustrate to the Liberian women when I teach. Just as they put off dirty clothes after a long day on their farms and replace them with clean clothes, they can learn, with God's help, to put off sinful practices.

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The Bible says the following in Ephesians 4:25:

Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 

Clearly the passage teaches to stop lying. However, it goes one step further. Rather than duct taping our mouths closed to avoid lying, we are to open our mouths to be truth-tellers. Clearly our homes, churches and workplaces will be totally changed as we become people who can be trusted to always speak the truth.

On a related note, while I am rarely tempted to tell a flat-out lie, God has convicted me more than once of exaggeration. Just "upping" it a bit. Exaggerating the misbehavior of one of the children to elicit sympathy from Mark. Exaggerating the amount of work I had actually accomplished because I may or may not have been goofing off during a large portion of the time in question. Exaggerating my innocence in a conflict.

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It is only when I start to see lying—including lying's "little sister," exaggeration—as sin will I feel properly motivated to "put it off." But, let's face it, I have a special motivation. After following my exaggeration with a series of lame excuses, I would never want Mark to roll his eyes, sigh and say, "Hmmm. The goat was pregnant."

See Why "Casual Christianity" Misses the Point.
See No Longer Playing the Part of the Martyr.
See The Lowest Servant in the Room.