A WINNING ARGUMENT
DAY 57: My husband tells me often that I should have been a lawyer. I wish this were a compliment, but it is his way of telling me that I like to argue. I don't think that is true. I don't like to argue, I just happen to be good at it. As my husband points out, I can make any position sound like the right one whether it is or not. Let me just say that in my experience, outside of a courtroom, this is an unappreciated skill. I have had to learn to surrender this "gift" to the Lord in order to maintain a happy marriage. In fact, I have to surrender it almost daily just to have a happy life - otherwise, as my grandpa would say, I might argue with a fence post.
I would rather surrender than be known as quarrelsome - especially when it comes to how I approach God. In today's reading, I saw afresh that it isn't just the unbelievers who like to debate with God - though they may top the list.
In Mark 8 Jesus is still traveling the countryside teaching, healing, and inviting people to seek after the Kingdom of God. On this particular day, as on most days, the hecklers are back.
11 When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had arrived, they came to argue with him.
I don't know how much plainer their motives could be... The New Living Translations says "they came to argue with him." In this instance, they demanded Jesus give them a miraculous sign to prove He came from God. I'm not sure what they thought of all the miracles He had already done, but they were not convinced and were combative in their demand. Jesus responded by refusing to debate them:
I will not give this generation any such sign.” 13 So he got back into the boat and left them, and he crossed to the other side of the lake.
END OF DISCUSSION. They came to argue. Jesus got in the boat and left them there. Perhaps when he talked of throwing pearls before swine he was thinking back on this instance. But then that is what we might expect from people who had declared themselves enemies of Jesus. We might not expect to see it from his friends. That very same day, on the other side of the lake, Jesus had a private conversation with his closest followers.
29,Jesus asked them,“Who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah”
30 But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
WOW! What an astounding confession. Peter was proclaiming that Jesus was the One that God had promised would come and save Israel. He was the One they had waited and expected for thousands of years... He was the Son of God. So naturally, what would you do if you were standing in front of the Son of God. . . but argue with Him. At least, that is what Peter decided to do when he heard his Messiah say something he didn't agree with.
Jesus began to tell them that as the Messiah, he would suffer terrible things and be put to death.
32 As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.
Peter was not having any negative talk. So he tried to argue Jesus out of it. After the way Jesus responded to the Pharisees, we might expect Him to just walk away from Peter, too. But He does not. He is much harsher to Peter, his friend!
33 Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said.
In an instant, Peter went from a soaring confession of faith to a plummeting failure. What had caused such a shift? Jesus names it plainly:
Call me crazy, but I believe that statement sums up the motive behind every argument that sets itself up against God, no matter who it comes from. Peter and the Pharisees shared a common flaw - looking at things from man's viewpoint instead of God's. The result was that they could not see the truth.
What a caution for me - the girl who likes to argue. I may be able to hold my own in a debate, or logically state my case, but that will never make me right and God wrong. It just makes me wrong with flair. I can never be right only looking at things from my point.
The next time I want to argue with God, I could save myself the trouble by simply taking off my human glasses and asking God to help me see things from His point of view, i.e., the right point of view.
I never want to be known as the girl who came to God to argue.
Day 57 of 365
Leviticus 19
Leviticus 20:1-21
Mark 8:11-38
Psalm 42:1-11
Proverbs 10:17
In Mark 8 Jesus is still traveling the countryside teaching, healing, and inviting people to seek after the Kingdom of God. On this particular day, as on most days, the hecklers are back.
11 When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had arrived, they came to argue with him.
I don't know how much plainer their motives could be... The New Living Translations says "they came to argue with him." In this instance, they demanded Jesus give them a miraculous sign to prove He came from God. I'm not sure what they thought of all the miracles He had already done, but they were not convinced and were combative in their demand. Jesus responded by refusing to debate them:
I will not give this generation any such sign.” 13 So he got back into the boat and left them, and he crossed to the other side of the lake.
END OF DISCUSSION. They came to argue. Jesus got in the boat and left them there. Perhaps when he talked of throwing pearls before swine he was thinking back on this instance. But then that is what we might expect from people who had declared themselves enemies of Jesus. We might not expect to see it from his friends. That very same day, on the other side of the lake, Jesus had a private conversation with his closest followers.
29,Jesus asked them,“Who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah”
30 But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
WOW! What an astounding confession. Peter was proclaiming that Jesus was the One that God had promised would come and save Israel. He was the One they had waited and expected for thousands of years... He was the Son of God. So naturally, what would you do if you were standing in front of the Son of God. . . but argue with Him. At least, that is what Peter decided to do when he heard his Messiah say something he didn't agree with.
Jesus began to tell them that as the Messiah, he would suffer terrible things and be put to death.
32 As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.
Peter was not having any negative talk. So he tried to argue Jesus out of it. After the way Jesus responded to the Pharisees, we might expect Him to just walk away from Peter, too. But He does not. He is much harsher to Peter, his friend!
33 Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said.
In an instant, Peter went from a soaring confession of faith to a plummeting failure. What had caused such a shift? Jesus names it plainly:
“You are seeing things merely from a human point of view,
not from God’s.”
Call me crazy, but I believe that statement sums up the motive behind every argument that sets itself up against God, no matter who it comes from. Peter and the Pharisees shared a common flaw - looking at things from man's viewpoint instead of God's. The result was that they could not see the truth.
What a caution for me - the girl who likes to argue. I may be able to hold my own in a debate, or logically state my case, but that will never make me right and God wrong. It just makes me wrong with flair. I can never be right only looking at things from my point.
The next time I want to argue with God, I could save myself the trouble by simply taking off my human glasses and asking God to help me see things from His point of view, i.e., the right point of view.
I never want to be known as the girl who came to God to argue.
Day 57 of 365
Leviticus 19
Leviticus 20:1-21
Mark 8:11-38
Psalm 42:1-11
Proverbs 10:17
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