Author: provref

Proverbs 26:4–5

4 Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own eyes.

Reading these two Proverbs back-to-back can feel a little contradictory. Either one, by itself, makes perfect sense. If we answer a fool according to his folly, if we go along with the fool in his ways, we end up acting like a fool. That is not good. But if we refuse to answer a fool, the fool will think he is wise. That is not good either.

In a nutshell, I believe that the writer of Proverbs put these two verses together to let us know that, when dealing with a fool, there is no perfect answer. Fools make civil and productive discussion impossible. At the same time, we sometimes have to get in there and deal with objections fools raise.

What might we need to learn from thinking about these proverbs in the light of the rest of Scripture? You do not have to be nasty to tell the truth. There is no requirement to make fun of people or be intentionally provocative. You can say that someone is in sin, and you can do so with a tone of superiority, arrogance, and disdain. You can also say that somebody is in sin and do so with a tone of sorrow and love and with an offer of hope in Jesus. Don’t be nasty. Do tell the truth.

Christians must remember that one of the fruits of the Spirit is kindness (Gal. 5:22). Thus, we are not to be a people marked by sharpness, anger, and cruelty. Being nasty, getting sinful with the person you are talking with, is answering a fool according to his folly in such a way that you become like him yourself.

But not all of the faith includes being nonconfrontational. Sometimes there is a true wisdom in saying, not out of meanness but out of honesty, that the argument someone is making is foolish. Sometimes we need to look at the ridiculous in the world’s actions, standards, or behavior and speak in such a way as to show it and not let the fool remain wise in his own eyes.

John 9:26-27

26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?”

In John 9, Jesus had healed a blind man. The Pharisees badgered the healed man, because they were trying to find something to hold against Jesus. Eventually, when the healed man realized that the conversation was not going anywhere, he got a little cheeky with the religious leaders. With a bit of sarcasm, he asked them if they were asking so many questions because they wanted to become Jesus’ disciples. I do not think he was sinfully mean here. But the formerly blind man showed the ridiculousness of what was going on.

In the Old Testament, when Elijah openly challenged the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel, the prophet ridiculed the evil prophets. Those prophets had spent the day dancing around, shouting, cutting themselves, and being foolish.

1 Kings 18:26-27

26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”

Elijah mocked the evil practices of the evil prophets. And he was not wrong.

What then? Are we to be polite or mocking? There is a wisdom required here. Examine your own personality and your own purposes. Be an honest person before God, especially about your motivation. Are you someone who is already given to meanness with your words? If so, you probably need to be pulled back and reminded of the kindness of Christ. You probably need to remember that you do not gain anything by scoring points WITH cutting remarks. Are you given to fear, to compromise, to words that barely point out the truth? You may need a little more of Elijah or the formerly blind man in your personality. You should not be afraid to speak the truth, even hard truth, to a lost world. You should not fear to say of evil that it is evil and of folly that it is foolish.

Do not neglect the body of Christ here. The local church should be made up of people who are different than you in temperament. Be honest enough to listen if fellow believers challenge you to be more direct. Take it seriously if fellow believers call on you to show more kindness. And be grateful that God has given us folks in the church who are wired quite differently. Be concerned if nobody in your life is wired differently than you in this area.

Honestly ask the Spirit of God to lead you. Ask God to reveal to you if you, when you want to say something sharp, are feeding your ego. Ask if you are putting yourself forward and finding joy in causing pain. Ask if you are trying to make yourself look big by putting somebody down in a conversation in person or on-line. If so, you are in sin.

But also ask the Spirit of God to help you to see if you are a coward. Ask the Spirit to help you see if you are given to compromise. Ask God to let you know when you need to be bold and call out evil with strong, even sharp words. You do not honor God if you allow people around you to think that they are smart, sophisticated, and beyond the reproof of the Bible.

We need a little of both sides in our lives and in the church. We need kindness and sweetness. We need strength and clarity. The same Jesus who had dinner with tax collectors and sinners called them sinners and told them they needed to repent. The same Jesus who wept over Jerusalem called the Pharisees a brood of vipers, a batch of little snake babies, and asked how in the world they could ever escape hell.

We need the wisdom of God in our speech both inside and outside the church setting to answer and to not answer fools according to their folly.

Mark 5:18-20

18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

In Mark 5, Jesus did something utterly stunning. Jesus drove a legion of demons out of a possessed man. Jesus, solely by his might, the might of Almighty God, overpowered demonic forces, made them tremble, and sent them away. Jesus, in glorious kindness, healed a man many thought unreachable.

After this was all over, the man was grateful. That is understandable. And the man asked Jesus to allow him to travel with him and his disciples.

In the Savior’s response to the man, we can learn something for ourselves. Jesus told the man not to come with him on his travels. Instead, the Savior called on the man to go back home, live a normal life, and tell people about how much the Lord had done for him. And this is what the man did. People were amazed, people praised God, because of the man’s account of what the Savior had done.

Here we stand looking back on this event over nearly two millennia of history. There is something for us to see. A man had his entire life and world changed by Jesus. He wanted, originally, to leave his home and go follow Jesus to other lands. The Savior said that what this man should do is take the truth of Jesus back into his own hometown.

What about you? Has Jesus done a miracle for you? Are you saved? If you are saved, then Jesus has given you life and forgiveness in God. Jesus has changed you. You have a story to tell. It is the story of one who was dead and whom God made alive. Tell it. Do not think you have to go on a mission trip to another country to tell it. Tell it at home. Tell it where you work. Tell it where you shop. Tell it to your friends. Tell it to your family. Just tell people what the Lord has done for you and ask them if they want to know him too.

Of course it is glorious when we get to go on missions to other cities and even other countries. But Jesus shows us right here that it is also wonderful when people whose lives have been changed tell their neighbors. You do not need seminary training to tell somebody that you have hope and joy in life because of Jesus, that you have forgiveness of sin because of Jesus, that you have been changed by Jesus. It does not take a missionary calling to say to someone that, if they would like to know about the Jesus you love, you would be happy to read through a book of the Bible with them or bring them with you to church so they can hear about him too. It is not a scholarly endeavor to tell people that God is holy, we are rebels, Jesus died as the only way we can be made right with God, and we gain new life by God’s grace when we repent and believe in the living Jesus. Dear friends, may we tell the story of what Jesus has done for us. It is great to go and tell. It is also great to stay and tell.

Mark 5:15 – And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.

Mark 5:33 – But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.

Mark 5:42b – …and they were immediately overcome with amazement.

There is an old proverb that says that familiarity breeds contempt. Sometimes when you are too familiar with a thing, you stop being amazed by it; you stop loving it.

How close do we come to this as we read through the works of Jesus. If you red your Bible regularly—as you should—you might become very familiar with the scenes of the supernatural. Is it possible that these are no longer jaw-dropping for you? Friends, If you saw them in person, they certainly would be.

In Mark 5, we see three miracles that will blow us away if we will see them with fresh eyes. First, Jesus meets a demon-possessed man. The man is so far gone that he is a danger to himself and others. He is so full of evil and supernatural power that he breaks chains that are intended to bind him for his own safety and that of others.

What happens when this man meets Jesus? The Savior drives out the legion of demons. And when the people see the man, he is, for the first time, clothed and in his right mind. Jesus defeated the powers of the devil. Jesus fixed a man who had been broken for years. Jesus overpowered a man who could overpower large groups of men. Jesus showed great love and great power.

Later, Jesus is met by a woman who had been suffering with a medical ailment for more than a decade. The woman, in faith, touched Jesus’ garment, and her socially damaging and physically crippling disorder was healed.

You know how frustrating medical care is today in a world of antibiotics, surgeries, and technology. How stunning is it to see a long-term illness removed in an instant? How loving? How wonderful?

Then, Jesus stands in a room with a dead twelve-year-old girl and her family. The Savior looks at the body—no breath, no life, no blood flow. The family is weeping. Jesus sends most people away, speaks a word to the girl, and she gets up. The parents, who believed they had lost their dear little one, have her back again. This should blow our minds.

Notice the three responses to the miracles that Jesus performed. Above, we list verses that show that fear and amazement are the responses from everybody. Why? The things Jesus did do not happen in the real world. But they happened in the real world. They happened in the world you walk into every day. They happened in the air you breathe. Jesus beat demons, disease, and death, and he did not break a sweat. Jesus is mighty, mightier than you think. Jesus is gracious, more gracious than you think. Jesus is loving, far more loving than you have ever imagined. You want to know this Jesus. You want to love this Jesus. You want to, as did the crowds, properly fear and be amazed by Jesus. Do not let your familiarity with these accounts breed contempt in your heart. See them afresh, imagine yourself there, and let it stun you with the glory of Jesus.

Matthew 26:34-35

34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

Luke 22:31-32

31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

In Matthew 26, on the night of Jesus’ betrayal, the Savior told his disciples that all of them would fall away, running and hiding when he would be arrested. And, of course, all of them said they would never do such a thing. Peter, perhaps the most brash, simply told Jesus he was wrong. But Jesus was able to look at Peter and tell him that, before the night was over, Peter would deny knowing Jesus three times.

In the parallel passage in Luke 22, Jesus unveils for us the spiritual warfare taking place. Satan, the devil, has demanded to sift Peter like wheat. And, for a short season, Peter will be allowed to go through the painful process. But Jesus also tells Peter that, when Peter comes back, when he comes to his senses, when he repents of running and hiding and denying Jesus, he should also be kind enough to strengthen and encourage the other disciples.

What grabs my attention here which I think will encourage our souls is the knowledge of Jesus. Jesus looked at Peter, knew exactly how Peter would fail him in the next hours, and offered him a word of encouragement. Jesus knew how Peter would lie and deny, and yet the Savior tells Peter about what will happen after he turns again to Jesus. Jesus knew Peter’s future failing and his future restoration, so he could speak to Peter with loving kindness in the face of what is to come.

Think about your own life. There are failures. There were failures in your past. There will be failures in your future. Jesus knows them all. Jesus sees them as clearly as he saw what Peter would do. And Jesus knows God’s plan for you. Christians, Jesus knows God’s forgiveness for you. He knows God’s knowing you, predestining you, calling you, justifying you, and eventually glorifying you (cf. Rom 8:29-30). And because Jesus knows all your failures before they happen, and because Jesus still died to cover that sin years ago, you and I can have confidence to know that, if we are in Christ, our sins are covered. Jesus has taken care of our guilt—past, present, and future. We do not surprise him. We do not disappoint him. He already knows it all. And he still chose to love us, save us, and promise us eternity with him.

Jesus knows our future failures. This is no excuse to continue in sin. But it is an encouragement for us when we are weak and doubting. He knows us, and he loves us. He knows us, and he has forgiven us. He knows us, and he will make something of us that we could never make of ourselves. What a glorious grace is the grace of Jesus!

Matthew 24:33-34

33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

In Matthew 24, we have the Savior speak to us of world-changing events. Some of them are first century events. Some of them include his actual return. All of them are to get the attention of those who follow him.

Many people have fairly passionate opinions about the promises of upcoming events including the return of Jesus. People differ in their view of the order of events, of a period of tribulation, of a millennium that is either literal or figurative, of the victory of the church and the response of the world. And I will not say that these are irrelevant. But I wonder if we get too bogged down in timing arguments and forget the point that Jesus wants us to see. He will return.

Without reproducing all my sermons on this passage, I would suggest to you that Jesus, in Matthew 24, is letting his church know that his return is near. This is not to say that it will happen soon. Instead, I think that Jesus is showing us that he has fulfilled all the requirements for his return to happen quickly, possibly within any generation. I believe that the Savior wants us to grasp that we cannot look at our age in history, be that the latter first century or the early 21st century and say that there is just no way that Jesus could return in our lifetimes.

So, with timing arguments set aside, let me ask you, believer, do you live as though the Savior could return while you still live and breathe? I’m not saying he will. I’m simply asking if you live with that sort of utterly world-transforming event as a possibility in your mind? Do you live in the light of eternity? Do you live looking for and longing for the Savior to finish setting up his kingdom? Do you live remembering that the wicked of this world will not stand? Do you live believing that the church will be victorious regardless of the persecution of the world? Do you live believing that the Son of god will in fact stand again on this earth and will set all things right?

I believe our world changes when we stop living with our eyes only on this world. We can become practical naturalists, forgetting that the God who made this world has broken into it in the past, still rules it, and will radically transform it. Things like upcoming elections matter. Things like life-saving laws matter. Things like paying your bills matter. But, dear friends, they matter in a temporary sense. The Savior has won. The Savior will win. The Savior is King. The Savior will be King. And we are made for far more than we experience today.

Matthew 8:23-27

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Traveling across a sea that is a few miles wide should, hopefully, be an uneventful experience. But when the Lord wants to teach us something, there is likely to be something unique occur. That certainly was the case here.

The storm came. Jesus was sleeping. That the Savior slept shows us the authenticity of his humanity. God the Son truly took on humanity in order to come and be our Savior. This was no play-acting.

When the disciples woke Jesus, the first thing the Savior did was rebuke them. Why? What about waking Jesus demonstrates a lack of faith on their part? The disciples should have understood that Jesus had a mission that he would accomplish. Nothing in the universe could have prevented Jesus from living the perfect life he came to live, dying on the cross, and rising from the dead. Nothing could keep Jesus from Saving the people he came to save. Nothing at all.

Then Jesus spoke to the storm, calmed the sea, and proved his true deity. No man has the power over wind and wave. But we think back to creation. There, God spoke, and things came to be. God spoke, and the world that was covered in water saw the waters pull back and dry land appear. Here, Jesus speaks, and a storm stops, and waves die down. This is the true God and true man who has what it takes to be the promised one and the Savior.

Response: Lord Jesus, I worship you, God the Son. You control the wind and the waves with your voice, by your power, for your glory. I thank you for taking on flesh to be the Savior. I also ask that you will help me to have the faith that the disciples lacked on the boat. Help me, I pray, to remember that you will accomplish your mission in all things. I cannot stop you. I cannot hinder you. I must trust you and know that you will keep me, as your own, and do with me your will.