Mark 11:28-30

Mark 11:28-30: “28 and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.””

People who live in unbelief are interesting in that they will overlook the obvious to maintain their position. It is a rebellion that chooses to remain blind to the truth.

The religious leaders came to Jesus and asked Him by what authority He had cleansed the Temple. In other words, they were saying, “Who do You think You are?” What a way to speak to their own Creator. Because they were walking in unbelief, Jesus responded with a question of His own: Was John’s baptism from heaven or from men? They knew that however they answered would affect how they were viewed by the people, so they replied, “We don’t know.” Jesus then said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

How do you handle unbelieving people? Do you try to argue them into belief? That rarely works. More often than not, it only turns the conversation into an argument and tempts us to step out of character. The best thing we can do is respond with wisdom rather than being drawn into fruitless disputes. Not every question deserves an answer, especially when it is asked only to bait us into an argument. Don’t let one person’s unbelief cause you to step out of character. Let the Lord handle them. He is the One they are rejecting anyway.

Father, give us discernment and wisdom to recognize the difference between sincere questions and those that are only meant to provoke an argument. Help us respond as Your Spirit leads. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.