Truth Seeking
Scripture Reading: Matthew 21:23-27
Jesus was teaching in the temple when some Jewish elders challenged his authority to do so. “Who gave you this authority?” they asked. Rather than give a direct reply, Jesus answered their question with a question, ‘’Did John baptize by the authority of heaven or men?”
The elders couldn’t answer, not because they didn’t have an opinion on the matter, but because they were thinking a few steps ahead. They were concerned with how the crowd would perceive their answer. The elders were willing to go either way. They were willing to say either heaven or men, but neither answer would produce the outcome they wanted.
They were trapped.
The wisdom of Jesus is evident here. So also is the malignant bitterness and authoritarian lust for power that consumed the Jewish elders questioning Jesus. But don’t overlook the issue that is hidden in plain sight. The goal of the elders was not the truth. It was winning. They weren’t asking Jesus this question with a willingness and hear and receive the truth. They intended to win a debate, to make Jesus look bad, and to dissuade people from following him. They were willing to answer Jesus’ question with any answer that would accomplish those ends. This is why Jesus did not answer their question directly. There is no point and nothing to be gained by answering the questions of people who have no interest in the truth.
Unfortunately, a lot of our present-day debates and conversations have similar characteristics. Very little real truth-seeking is happening. Not many people are listening to understand the other side. Most of the time, people are calculating how to win the debate, not how to discover the truth. It is hard for us to acknowledge the other side has a point, or might even be right.
Therefore, we end up speaking, not what is true, but what might win the argument. Being right, after all, is the thing that matters most today. What we need is the grace to be humble. The patience to listen. The honesty to receive the truth. The lowliness to change when we find we are wrong. And the courage to stand on the side of the truth, even when it means standing with people we once considered our enemies.