March 13 - By His Authority

Mark 11:27-33

Have you ever answered a question with “I don’t know,” when you really did know?  Maybe you were afraid of being wrong and humiliated, or you didn’t want to hurt someone’s feelings, or make them angry with the truth.  Fear of others’ reactions can make us take the easy way out and avoid conflict. There’s lots of reasons we might answer “I don’t know.”

And those times when you really don’t know, it’s okay to admit it.  You’re not expected to have all the answers, but seeking further clarity when you don’t know something is a sign of maturity.

Now-a-days we’ve all heard the phrase, “If you see something, say something.”  I think the same applies to our faith – when we believe something, say something.  We need to speak up and declare we know Jesus even when we fear the reaction of others.

I know that’s easier said than done, especially when you’re a people pleaser and you don’t want to disrupt the status quo. Several times I’ve said “I don’t know” when I really did know.  I was just too afraid to tell the truth.  But the precious gift that Jesus gives is grace.  When we’re too afraid to say something and we can’t commit to an answer, he waits for us to figure it out.

Now, at times he may tell us “I won’t answer your question,” but it’s not out of spite.  He wants to give us time to discover the truth for ourselves like he did the chief priests and elders. “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” (John 7:17).

The sign of a believer is not that we have all the answers, but that we trust God to reveal them so we can speak truth without fear.  And in those cases when we really don’t know, then we are called to remember that God’s grace will be with us while we seek clarity and ultimately realize that the answers we really need can be found in Him.