No one enjoys being accused and having his character questioned. We all like to be seen in a favorable light. But there comes a time in which our life speaks for us and we have nothing left to prove.
When Jesus was betrayed and arrested he was then questioned before the high council. But he chose not to answer any of their charges.
In fact, he went on to say that if he did answer they wouldn’t believe him, nor would they respond if he asked a question.
Finally, he charged them to look at his life and let those he taught provide the evidence they sought.
Through it all Jesus had no need to prove himself to the council. Their minds were already made up and he simply stood firm on the truth of who he was.
And naturally he sets the example for us as well.
We will often face the “council” of public opinion and personal critiques. Whether individually or collectively there will always be those who simply want us to appease their demands.
And like the council before Jesus, their minds are already made up and there’s no room for honest dialogue.
While it’s tempting to try to prove ourselves to them, this tends to come at the risk of jeopardizing our own integrity.
Certainly we should address any valid critiques for change. But we also need the wisdom to rightly discern when we’re facing a council already prejudice toward us.
In these cases, it’s best to simply let our life speak for us.
Of course, like Jesus, the end result might be very costly. But even here we have nothing to prove and can rest in the deeper truths of God.
Whatever the council is able to do to us, we trust God’s timeline and that he’s still more than able to raise the dead.
Stand firm on what is true. You have nothing to prove otherwise.
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
