GRACE UNDER PRESSURE

SCRIPTURE PASSAGE

Matthew 21:23-27, Mark 11:27-33, and Luke 20:1-8 

PURPOSE STATEMENT

To teach believers how to respond to criticism and personal attacks with the wisdom, composure, and Spirit-led discernment of Christ so that we remain faithful to God’s mission instead of being distracted by man’s opposition.

INTRODUCTION

I’d like for you to take the Word of God with me, please, and turn to Matthew 21:23-27, Mark 11:27-33, and Luke 20:1-8.

ILLUSTRATION

Have you ever said something in the heat of the moment that you later wished you hadn’t? Maybe you answered a question, defended yourself, or tried to explain something—and the moment the words left your mouth, you thought, I should’ve just stayed quiet.

History, both biblical and modern, is full of examples of people who spoke when silence would have been wiser.

EVE AND THE SERPENT

In the garden of Eden, Eve could have walked away when the serpent asked, “Yea, hath God said…?” Instead, she engaged him, and in trying to explain God’s command, she gave Satan the opening he needed to twist the truth. Her downfall didn’t begin with a bite—it began with a conversation that never should have happened.

SAMSON AND DELILAH

Samson faced a similar trap. Delilah asked over and over for the secret of his strength. He knew her intent wasn’t pure, but instead of staying silent, he played along until he finally gave her the very answer that destroyed him. One conversation with the wrong person cost him his strength, his sight, and his ministry.

KING HEZEKIAH AND THE BABYLONIAN ENVOY

Then there’s King Hezekiah. When the Babylonian ambassadors visited, he proudly showed them all the treasures of his kingdom. Isaiah later confronted him, “What have they seen in thine house?” and Hezekiah answered, “All that is in mine house have they seen.” That answer—driven by pride—exposed Israel’s riches to future invaders. Sometimes, the wrong answer invites the wrong people in.

PETER AT JESUS’ TRIAL

Even Peter, bold and passionate, opened his mouth when silence would have been better. Around a campfire outside the high priest’s house, a servant girl said, “This man was also with Him.” Peter could have walked away, or stayed quiet. Instead, fear made him speak—and his words became denials of his Lord.

PRESIDENT NIXON AND WATERGATE

And if we look beyond Scripture, we can see the same lesson. In the famous Frost–Nixon interviews after Watergate, former President Richard Nixon tried to justify his actions with the statement, “When the president does it, that means it is not illegal.” Those words didn’t defend him; they defined him, and history remembers them as the phrase that sealed his reputation.

TRANSITION

One thing is clear: the problem isn’t only what we do—it’s what we say when we should have stayed silent.

In Luke 20, Jesus shows us a better way.

As we begin this evening I want you to consider the setting in which Jesus finds Himself. The passover is nigh at hand and Jesus is in the Temple teaching. He is actively engaging His audience and watch this: He is preaching the Gospel. When Jesus preached before His crucifixion, He was proclaiming that same good news in its unfolding form: the good news of the Kingdom and the coming of salvation through Himself.

He is on mission and doing exactly what God has called Him to do. And it is in that moment that Jesus is once again attacked by the religious establishment. Jesus is on mission and Satan has sent his hoards to disrupt the Gospel message. That is the gist of the passage before our eyes today.

As we consider this passage, I want to analyze how Jesus responded to their attack and learn how to respond when people are trying to get us off mission.

We are asking one simply question today: how should we respond to people attacking us?

LISTEN BEFORE YOU SPEAK | VV. 1-2

Let’s break it down. In verses 1 and 2 we find this thought. Listen before you speak. Look at the verses again,

Luke 20:1–2 KJV 1900

1 And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, 2 And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?

Before Jesus does anything, He listens.

LISTEN TO UNDERSTAND

He listens to understand. This is vey important in every conversation, and especially in a conversation with someone with whom you have an issue. You want to spend time listening to them so that you can understand where they are coming from.

ILLUSTRATION: Virginia House Delegate, Nick Freitas, is a strong outspoken Christian. While debating with a liberal regarding Christianity, the man asked him what his view on suicide and where someone who committed suicide could go to heaven. His immediate response went like this, “The issue of wether they do or they don’t has absolutely nothing to do with the actual argument we are discussing right now, so this is a red herring, so why don’t you stay on topic.” Someone told Nick later if he understood why the man asked the question, and Nick responded he didn’t know. He was then informed that the man’s wife had committed suicide.

So often we are quick to respond before we’ve even listened.

LISTEN TO THINK

Listen before you speak in order to understand, but also to give yourself time to think. As you are listening, your brain is working. Often we short-circuit our brain because we only want to respond, but we need time to think. Allow yourself time to process the information that you are receiving.

LISTEN TO PRAY

Additionally, we need to learn to listen in order to pray. We need to ask God how to respond to this situation. Do we need to even open our mouth? Do we need to respond with strength, or humility? There is a lot to understand and so we go to the Lord and seek His wisdom knowing He gives it abundantly to all who ask of Him in faith.

REFUSE TO REACT IN THE FLESH | VS. 3

But notice this as well. When we are attacked our immediate reaction is to be in the flesh, and so we must refuse to react in the flesh. Do not allow yourself to become frustrated or emotional, yet we find ourselves in this frame of mind so many times.

Do you get offended when someone asks you questions? That is the flesh.

Do you become offended when someone doesn’t understand what you said? That is the flesh.

Do you get angry when a conversation isn’t going your way? That is the flesh.

Do you lash out when someone challenges you? That is the flesh.

Does your heart start to race and your palms become sweaty when you are pushed in a conversation? That is the flesh.

Jesus does not get defensive, does not lash out, and does not panic; He simply responds in the Spirit. We must live and walk in the Spirit. We must learn to cultivate that real relationship with Christ and refuse to react in the flesh. Remember Proverbs 15:1,

Proverbs 15:1 KJV 1900

1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: But grievous words stir up anger.

ASK WISE AND CLARIFYING QUESTIONS | VV. 3-4

And then, ask wise and clarifying questions. Look at what Jesus does in verses 3 and 4,

Luke 20:3–4 KJV 1900

3 And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: 4 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?

This is an important step for a variety of reasons.

TO CLARIFY THEIR WORDS

First you need to clarify their words. Some people use words that have multiple definitions and you need to clarify them.

ILLUSTRATION: For example in Acts 2:38 we read,

Acts 2:38 (KJV 1900) 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The word “for” in this passage has multiple meanings. It can mean “in order to” or it can mean “because of.” If I told you to take ibuprofen for your headache would I be telling you to take ibuprofen in order to obtain a headache, or because of your headache?

I remember a conversation one time in ministry where I used to word haphazard in a conversation. Some of the leaders in he room became frustrated because they thought I meant one definition, when I actually mean another.

If you are dealing with someone, make sure you understand what they mean in the use of their words. What do you mean by marriage? What do you mean when you say “a woman?”

TO REVEAL THEIR MOTIVES

Additionally, and we see Jesus doing this so well, Jesus asks a clarifying question to reveal their motives. He doesn’t simply ask, “Why do you ask me this?” Instead, He puts them on the defense by asking about John’s baptism. They came with ulterior motives and Jesus reveals them through His question.

Verse 5 tells us they began to reason with themselves and have this back and forth on how to respond to the question. They know they are in a pickle, not because they don’t have an answer, but because they don’t want to accept the truth. Do you see that in verse 5,

Luke 20:5 KJV 1900

5 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?

They know John’s baptism was from God, from heaven. There was no dispute, but they refuse to state such.

Jesus’ question forced them to reveal their hypocrisy. But please keep this in mind: the goal isn’t to trap, but to uncover truth. We are not here to win an argument but to uncover the truth and that requires revealing someone’s motive.

TO REDIRECT TO GOD’S AUTHORITY

Also, Jesus asked a question to redirect to God’s authority. Jesus turned attention away from Himself and back to God’s work through John. He shifted the focus from a personal attack to divine authority.

It is not our arguments that will ever transform a soul for that is the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God.

KNOW WHEN TO REMAIN SILENT | VS. 8

Let me give you a fourth aspect of responding to attacks from verse 8. Know when to remain silent. Once it is clear that they are not honest or open, Jesus simply stops. He does not keep feeding their argument.

Dod you know that you are not obligated to explain yourself endlessly to someone who is not listening or doesn’t care about what you are going to say? You need to know this and understand it. You are under no obligation to respond to every question asked of you, and many times it is wiser to remain silent. Proverbs 29:11 reminds us,

Proverbs 29:11 KJV 1900

11 A fool uttereth all his mind: But a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

It is sometimes godly to say, kindly: “I do not think this conversation is helpful right now.” Or, “I have answered this as clearly as I can. I am not going to argue about it.”

You can walk away from a destructive argument without bitterness, while still being willing to talk if their heart truly changes.

SOME QUESTIONS DON’T DESERVE AN ANSWER

Some questions do not deserve an answer. I know that we are aware of this, but all too often we to walk in the Spirit and respond in the Spirit. Give yourself some time to think before you speak and before you respond.

Let me give you another proverb on this matter. Proverbs 26:4,

Proverbs 26:4 KJV 1900

4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou also be like unto him.

SOME PEOPLE AREN’T READY FOR AN ANSWER

Not only do some questions not deserve an answer, but some people aren’t ready for an answer. God has never once told us in His Word to be nice. Yes, we are to kind, and compassionate, considerate, longsuffering, patient, meek, and more, but not nice. Often times kindness is substituted for nice, which means we don’t speak at all. Sometimes we need to firm and speak the truth in love. And still others times, what we speak may not be a direct answer to the asked question. Jesus taught us this in Matthew 7:6,

Matthew 7:6 KJV 1900

6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

This is even true of the Gospel itself. A person is not ready to hear of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God in the flesh, becoming a man in order to take the wages of our sin so that we can be forgiven, if they don’t even believe in God. How shall they call on Him in whom they have not heard.

STAY FOCUSED ON YOUR MISSION | VS. 9

Lastly, as we respond to attacks, remember to stay focused on your mission. Look at the beginning of verse 9,

Luke 20:9 KJV 1900

9 Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.

As soon as Jesus tells them He won’t respond, He immediately turns back to the people He was speaking with before. He doesn’t waste any more time with the chief priests and scribes.

Additionally, He doesn’t dwell on it. Often times, we won’t let something go and we stew on it in our minds. This only creates more problems and prevents us from getting back on missing.

KEEP DOING WHAT GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO DO

To avoid this, keep doing what God has called you to do. When you are actively engaging your mind in the mission of Christ, it is hard to dwell on issues. Continue serving, teaching, loving, leading. Remember, Galatians 6:9 reminds us,

Galatians 6:9 KJV 1900

9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE AUDIENCE THAT MATTERS

And then, keep your eyes on the audience that matters. The people that had come to hear Jesus were more important than the ones who were arguing with Him.

I’ve seen far too many Christians get into debates online with others over trial topics all the while their own people with whom they minister and work are starving for Scripture and truth because we focus so much on the problems than we do those that are ready to receive the Word.

CONCLUSION

Surrounded by critics, pressed by questions, and attacked by those who should have known better, Jesus never lost His focus, never reacted in the flesh, and never let others pull Him away from the Father’s mission.

You and I live in a world that is full of critics too—sometimes in our homes, sometimes in the workplace, sometimes even within the family of faith. There will always be voices trying to pull you off course, distract you from your calling, or provoke you into the flesh.

When criticism comes:

Listen before you speak. Ask God to help you hear not just words, but hearts.

Refuse to react in the flesh. Stay Spirit-filled, even when others are carnal.

Ask clarifying questions. Seek to uncover truth, not to win arguments.

Know when to remain silent. Don’t waste God’s truth on closed hearts.

Stay focused on your mission. Keep serving the Lord and proclaiming the Gospel.

So, here’s the challenge:

When criticism comes, respond like Christ.

When you’re attacked, stay Spirit-led, not self-led.

When people try to pull you into the mud, keep your eyes on your mission.

Don’t let the enemy use people’s words to derail what God is doing in your life. Don’t lose your testimony in the middle of a debate. Don’t waste your voice on arguments when you’ve been called to proclaim the Gospel. Be like Jesus—calm, wise, Spirit-filled, and focused on the Father’s work.