Scripture
1 One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 2 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”3 “Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. 4 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”
5 They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 6 But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” 7 So they finally replied that they didn’t know.
8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Observation
The people who asked Jesus this question did not do so out of an earnest desire to learn the truth. They were trying to trip Him up. They thought about the answer they were to give and how it would effect their ultimate motive. Jesus knew they were not sincere seeker of truth. He did not feel the need to expand upon His answer in any way or justify Himself at all. He didn’t argue with them or try to make them understand His point of view. He knew it would do no good at all. He did not waste His time.
Application
Occasionally we meet people who are hostile towards our faith in God. They ask questions; sometimes in the guise of truly wanting to know. But they are just trying to trip us up. They want us to say something that will make them feel better for not believing the way we do or give them ammunition to refute our beliefs. They are not truth seekers, but journalists. They want to pick out the parts of our words that justify their ends. We should not feel compelled to answer these questions. How do we know the intention of the person asking the questions? God will let us know. As we draw closer to Him, we can hear His voice and learn His emotions. We will know if we should engage in a theological debate or not. Sometimes a person may appear outwardly hostile, but they are really seeking the truth. God can help us differentiate.
Prayer
Lord, teach me to know when to talk about my faith in You to other people. I don’t want to miss any opportunities to share You with unbelievers, but I don’t want to cast pearls before swine either. Jesus knew Your heart and He knew when to engage. I want to know Your heart the way Jesus did.
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