Mark 11:33
Rules!
Everywhere in life we find rules. Rules help create order in the middle of
chaos. Rules protect everyone, but are especially important for those who don’t
have the ability to speak for themselves.
As
we have seen in recent headlines, when the rules are ignored, mayhem follows.
When everyday citizens don’t obey the rules, or when those in power don’t obey
the rules, anarchy results. Trust goes out the window. If we can’t trust our
fellow citizens, we are in big trouble.
Anarchy
is not an answer to the ills of injustice.
There
are rules for civilized debate. They may vary from culture to culture, but they
are there. Usually each side has the opportunity to state their case, be
questioned, provide answers, and in turn question the other side, and get their
answers. This cycle continues until one party or the other withdraws by not
engaging according to the rules.
This
is just what happens in the text. The religious leaders stop the process by not
answering Jesus’ question. You might say, why didn’t Jesus answer their
question? But part of what Jesus’ does
in answering their question with a question is to clarity their question. Jesus’
question back to them has clarified their initial question. He has defined
their range of acceptable answers. They have excluded answering in a way that
acknowledges the LORD’s work in the world apart from the carefully prescribed
lanes they have defined, the lanes over which they claim control.
Since
Jesus’ demonstrates the LORD’s authority in His life and ministry, they are
incapable of hearing and acknowledging the truth in relationship to Jesus. They
have prescribed an acceptable answer for Jesus that excludes the LORD’s
authority. They won’t acknowledge His authority with John, so they won’t with Jesus
either.
So
Jesus withdraws from the debate, just as they have withdrawn from the debate.
Sometimes this is the best thing to do when someone won’t acknowledge the
truth. You can point out the facts of enlarging polar ice caps, lack of
tropical storms, 19 years of non-rising temperatures to a global warming
devotee, and the facts mean nothing.
You
can even point out the absolute fraud of the rewriting of the basic data of
climate temperature by UK, USA & Australian scientists to support their
theory, to show that the theory is bunk, but they just can’t hear the truth.
Non-global warming is not an option to them, just like Jesus’ authority being
the LORD’s authority is not an option to these religious leaders. Once someone’s
mind is this committed to a course of action and belief, it can be very hard to
change them, even with facts.