Made Up Your Mind?

There is an interesting exchange that happens between Jesus and some religious leaders shortly before the crucifixion. In Mark 11 the chief priests, scribes, and elders demanded that Jesus give His authority, His credentials, as the Messiah. Jesus answered their question with a question - wanting to know if they thought John's baptism was from God or was just John's idea.

³¹"And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' ³²But shall we say, 'From man'?" they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet."

So Jesus refused to answer.

Later, a law expert heard another discussion about the resurrection and asked Jesus which command was the greatest. Jesus answered that you should love God and love your neighbor. The scribe said "You are right." and Jesus replied "You are not far from the kingdom of God." 

So why did Jesus engage the one man, and not the other group? I think it was their heart attitude. The religious leaders had already made up their mind about Jesus, but the scribe seemed to really be curious and open to Jesus response.

Jesus isn't wanting us to have all the answers, but He does want us to be open to asking questions and getting answers from His word.

Some people say they are open minded, but are so open minded their brains fall out and they form no opinions at all. The scribe wasn't just interested in a debate, he was interested in ultimate truth. Are you?

Pastor Tom