You Are Wrong
Scripture Reading: Mark 12:18-27
We should be willing to admit that our reticence to say “You’re wrong” to someone is a cultural, not a Christian, issue. There is a general uncomfortableness with most people to tell someone else that they are wrong. Or, if we do find people who are willing to speak those or similar words, those people do come off as abrasive, rude, and unreasonable. I remember George W. Bush would often say in debates, “We just disagree.” It was his soft way of saying, “You are wrong,” without actually saying it.
I think we need to learn how to say “You’re wrong” again. Jesus did it in this story in Mark. He did it twice. He said the Sadducees were wrong because they didn’t know the Bible, and then he concluded by emphatically stating their error by saying, “You are quite wrong.”
When we state someone is wrong, we are saying that there is a right and a wrong. We are rejecting the Oprahization of truth which is known by the phrasing, “Your truth,” and “My truth.” By saying “Wrong” we are saying there are such things as right and wrong, truth and error.
Yes, we should follow the biblical admonition to “speak the truth in love,” but too often we put all of the weight on “in love,” and ignore “speak the truth.” Admittedly, it is almost an art form to get this right. We either fall on the side of harsh truth speaking without love, or doing what we call love by ignoring the truth.
Pray we can learn how to get it right and do it well. Also, when you find yourself engaged in any conversation that seems to be leading to a “speaking the truth in love,” moment, pray then too. Take a minute to ask the Holy Spirit for His help. He is ready, not reluctant, to give it.
