Study – Grow – Know

Jesus Never Debated…

September 28, 2009 at 10:17 PM Leave a comment

He stated!

I am amazed at how many people within Christendom will take the time to debate things.  They don’t simply present their opinion, listen to the other person, and if there is disagreement, agree to disagree and move on.  They will argue over the minutest detail of something because they have to do so.  They can’t not debate.  It is in their blood.  There must come a time when people decide that continuing to debate an issue is counter-productive.

When the Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees approached Jesus with a question, or demanded a reason why He did something, they were never interested in hearing the Truth.  They were interested in tripping Him up, catching Him unawares, and breaking Him down.  They were intent upon destroying His public image so that the people would see a fault, and stop following Him.  Of course it never worked, because Jesus was always miles ahead of them.

But the most interesting thing about Jesus’ repartee with these religious leaders is how He responded to their queries and concerns.  He responded to them the same way He responded to anyone:  He stated the Truth and never backed down from it.  He did not take the time to debate them.  He refused to play their game.  I find one of the most interesting “discussions” that Jesus had with these religious leaders, was when they asked Him by what authority He did the things He did.

In Mark 11, we see an order of events that occurs in a day of Jesus’ life.  The chapter opens with Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  During this event, He was literally worshiped as King, and this was how He offered Himself to the people.  The religious leaders had a problem of course, and demanded that Jesus tell the people to stop worshiping Him.  His response was that if the people stopped, the very rocks would cry out!

Jesus then moves along and sees a fig tree, which He curses for not bearing fruit (in spite of the fact that it was not in season).  Jesus also spent some time cleansing the Temple, because it was overrun with people who were making it next to impossible for the average person to worship God.  The outer court had become more like a “den of thieves” and Jesus was hot with displeasure.  The next morning, sure enough, as Jesus and His followers pass by the tree, it has withered. 

As Jesus and His group returned to Jerusalem, He was approached by the same religous leaders who stopped Him and asked Him by what authority He did the things He did (triumphal entry, cleansing the Temple, cursing the fig tree [which is NOT a metaphor for Israel, but for the religious leaders], etc.).  I love the conversation at this point, so let’s pick it up in verse 29 of Mark 11:

Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘From man’?”— they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Did you catch that?  Jesus knew that they were simply refusing to say anything, not that they “did not know.”  He cut right to the chase, by letting them know with a huge slap in the face that He knew they were lying.  They did know, but would not say.  Because they refused to share, He opted to not share as well.

There were many other times, where Jesus simply laid it out for these so-called religious leaders, letting them know in no uncertain terms, that they did not know what they were talking about.  He stated the truth and left it, dangling in the air right in front of it.  They often had no retort whatsoever.

Even with the average individual, Jesus never debated, but simply stated the point.  To the rich young ruler, who firmly believed that he had kept all the commandments since his youth, Jesus told him that there was one thing he lacked:  he should sell all that he had, give to the poor and follow Him.  Does this mean we should all give away everything we have?  Hardly.  The problem was that the young man’s wealth was his stumbling block, and the thing that kept him from receiving the salvation that Christ offered.  While Christ was saddened, He did not chase the man down, tackle him, or beat the truth into him.  He allowed him to walk away.  He did not try to convince the young man that what He was telling him was the only truth that exists and to deny it was to deny eternal life.  He stated the truth and left it at that.

This does not mean that Jesus had no heart.  We know that He had the biggest heart of all and He cried for His own people, even those who came to reject Him.  He longed to wrap His arms around them, covering Him with His blessing, but they would have no part of it as a nation.  Often, the truth that we share with others will fall on deaf ears and while they may walk away from it, we should never stop praying for them, that God would open their eyes to the truth.

There are some things that are worth fighting for and certainly making others aware of the only salvation that exists in Christ Jesus is one of them.  There are some areas within theology that provide room to disagree and still be saved.  Eschatology is a hot topic today and people are dividing themselves off into specific areas; PreTrib, Mid-Trib, Pre-Wrath Trib, PostTrib, as well as no Rapture at all.  None of these areas mean a loss or a gain in salvation. 

There is an increasing number of people who have formed their opinion around certain specifics that means life or death to them.  In fact, for them, the debate can mean everything.  It’s winning they want and winning they will get, if they have their way.  I have lost track of how many people I have encountered of late who are much more concerned with winning the debate than actually discussing or dialoging.  They must win the debate at all costs and it shows in how they come across.

But what does debate prove?  Relatively little.  In fact, while it may have occurred, I cannot think of anyone changing their opinion that they originally held, by listening to, or participating in a debate.  Usually, people who want to debate, do so because they are already convinced of their own opinion and need to share their “wisdom” with anyone who is not of like mind.  They believe they are doing you a huge favor by investing the time and effort into helping you understand your misconstrued opinion.  Believe me, they will help straighten you out.  All you have to do is ask them and they will be more than happy to help!

Funny thing about people like this though.  I rarely hear them discussing actual Scripture.  Their arguments are usually based on “he said/she said” type of reasoning and even when Scripture is referenced, it is not long before they dig into their box of biblical references once again.

Doctrine should always be based on the Bible.  It should not be based on Calvin, Darby, Luther, Scofield, or anyone else.  While people have opinions that may offer some help and guidance, the Bible should be allowed to speak for itself, because it is God’s Word.  Jesus always started with it, and He always ended with it.  How can we do less?

Discussions have their place.  I’m not so sure about debates though.  Usually, someone will claim the win, whether or not they actually have won, and then the debate ensues as to who actually won the debate.  As Christians, we always need to be ready to explain the hope we have in Christ, for the salvation that He has provided for us.  Debates?  That’s for philosophers, agnostics and atheists.  Everything for them is up in the air anyway in this life.  Their convincing will come once they leave this life, and move onto the next one.  Unfortunately, it will be way too late for that, but no amount of debating them will change their viewpoint.  Only God can do that, and He will do it if He so chooses to do so.

Jesus never debated.  He stated the truth and left it at that.  Satan loves nothing better than for Christians to waste time arguing over everything under the sun.  By doing so, we will come to think we are actually involved in evangelizing people, but we are in truth, far from doing so.  The truth needs to be spoken in love, in and out of season – in other words, at all times.  It needs to be stated.  God will (or will not; His choice), take what we say and use it for His glory.

Entry filed under: Atheism and religion, dispensationalism, Life in America, Religious - Christian - Theology. Tags: arguing, debate, debating, truth.