All throughout Luke’s gospel account the pharisees are trying to trick Jesus into saying the wrong thing. In Luke 20 they ask him who gave him the authority to do what he does. He answers their question with a question: “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or man?” The pharisees huddled up to come up with a good answer.
“If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”
Then they decide to just say “we don’t know” and Jesus is like “hey, if you won’t answer my question, I won’t answer yours.” What a smart guy.
But notice what the discussion between the pharisees is about. They’re not trying to debate the right answer to give. They want to make sure they give the answer that makes them look the best. They realize it’s a trick question and neither answer will give them what they want. If they say it’s from heaven, then they’ll have talked themselves into a corner where they HAVE to believe that Jesus really is who he says he is. If they say it’s from man, people are going to TURN ON THEM.
It’s not the truth that they’re after, it’s self preservation. Jesus on the other hand, doesn’t give a rip about self preservation.
He doesn’t care about keeping the crowd. In John 6 he gives a teaching that is very hard for his giant crowd of followers to swallow (pun!) and in verse 66 it says "After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”
He doesn’t care about keeping any sort of status. First of all, this majestic king from heaven comes down to earth as a weak little baby born to two poor random people no one knows about. His grand entrance into the world is covered in placenta next to some donkey poop. Not only that, but after he’s grown in popularity as a traveling rabbi and miracle worker, one night at dinner he washes his disciples’ feet. WHAT?! That’s what a servant does. That’s not dignified. Your disciples are beneath you. The whole reason they’re following you around is because you’re so great and they want to learn from you. But he places himself beneath them as an act of service and love.
Jesus gives it all away. He speaks truth and he speaks in love.
I’m just as afraid as the pharisees of giving the wrong answers some times. Not wrong as in “untrue,” but wrong as in “could negatively affect me.” My flesh is desperate for self preservation. Put the walls up. Keep the defenses high. Don’t make one wrong step. Sacrifice all truth and love, don’t even worry about those silly things, because my identity, pride, and status could be on the line. That’s who I’m prone to be.
I want to spend more time with Jesus so I can be more like him.