Humans love to create narratives about other humans. In the absence of knowing the whole truth, we make up what we think is true and then we treat our imagined truth as though it were absolute truth. Have you ever been in a public setting and played the game “let’s make up a story about every person here”? When it’s done in a lighthearted way, it can be innocent and fun. “I bet they’re on a first date.” Or, “I’m guessing they just moved to San Francisco from the Midwest.” You imagine how they might have met or how long they’ve known the person they’re with or even whether they’re a local or a tourist.

Unfortunately humans also like making up stories about other humans in the form of slander and accusation. And when you get hit with these, everything in you wants to rise up, defend yourself and get revenge on the person who did this to you. And that “eye for an eye” approach feels right and even justified. But what if it doesn’t lead to what we want most in our lives? After all, we are people seeking to orient our entire lives around Jesus. And if that’s not what you’re interested in yet, I invite you to consider whether His way could be a better path for how you can respond when false accusations come your way.

Mark 15:1-5 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied. The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

There are people who want to destroy you. Because of your politics. Or maybe the kind of company you work for. Or because of the wealth or power you have. Or because of what you stand for. Or because of what you’re unwilling to give them. Or because of your faith in Jesus. And some of these are simply because they lump you into a broad category without knowing you personally. It’s just that they have something against people who have positions like yours or work in companies like yours. Or they simply want to destroy all Republicans or all Democrats. Or all Christians.

But then there are people who want to destroy you and that is deeply personal. It’s because of who you are as an individual. What you have personally done or not done. They’re trying to find any reason they can to justify their disdain for you. This is what the religious leaders had been doing with intensity before Jesus was arrested, condemned, and crucified. And now, they’re gathering in the morning to make their plans and they hand him over to Pilate.

παρεδιδου (paredidou) – to hand over, commit, surrender

Keep this word in mind as we’ll come back to it later. They hand Jesus over and they begin accusing Him of many things. “Aren’t you going to answer?” We think we have to answer everyone. Why is this? We want to defend ourselves by setting the record straight and proving that the accusations against us are false. And here we see a practice from Jesus that he employs many times throughout his life. It’s the practice of refusing to defend yourself.

What is your go-to response when you are accused of something that is not true?

Do you react with anger and perhaps lose your temper?

Do you start defending, proving and justifying?

Do you immediately begin to desire revenge?

Do you take on the condemnation thrown on you?

Do you allow the attack to make you believe you’re all alone and defenseless?

I don’t know what your go-to response is, but I know that I’ve tried all of these. I’ve reacted with so much anger towards the person who falsely accused me. Or I just started defending myself and convincing them any way I can that they’re wrong about me. Or I just start attacking them – at least in my mind, even if I never say anything out loud. But then there’s the other kinds of responses that are just as wrong. I’ll take to heart the condemnation they tried to pour on me. Or I’ll allow their verbal assault to make me feel like I’m all alone. It’s like I forget who God is in that moment and who I am to Him. What does God think about false accusations that come our way?

God sees false accusations against us as evil AND He can use them for our good and His glory.

Were these people who were making false accusations against Jesus doing something evil in God’s sight? Yes. Did God use their evil to accomplish His will because this led to Jesus being crucified for the sins of the world, in order that we might belong to God? Yes. It reminds me of the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis. He has a dream that he will have a position of leadership. This causes his brothers to hate him. They sell him into slavery. While he serves as a slave, he is falsely accused of doing something he never did. This puts him in prison. And you know what Scripture says was true about Joseph when all of those things were happening to him? “But while Joseph was there in prison, the LORD was with him”. And eventually Joseph is in the leadership position, as 2nd in command under Pharaoah. And his brothers believe he’s going to try to get revenge against them. But Joseph had a higher perspective on things.

Genesis 50:20 You intended to hard me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Think about the conversation Pilate and Jesus had about power. When Jesus refused to defend himself or answer Pilate, listen to Pilate’s response in John’s writing:

John 19:10-11 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

Jesus knows what Pilate has no clue about. There is always a power above the power of the person accusing us. And it’s the power of God. And not only is this God all powerful…He also knows the whole truth about us…and He also has come to be our Defender. People will wound you and it will hurt deeply, especially when it is people with whom you’ve previously been in close relationship with. Jesus knows what this is like. He was betrayed by Judas and abandoned by all of the other disciples at some point. I believe Jesus brought His pain to the Father and reminded Himself of what was true. Peter tells us how Jesus refused revenge and what he did instead of defending Himself.

1 Peter 2:23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

Jesus did not retaliate. He made no threats. What did he do then? Did he just receive the condemnation that was thrown on Him? I mean, the text says they hurled their insults at Him. No, he did not receive their condemnation. He did something else instead. He entrusted Himself to him who judges justly. Guess what this word is in the Greek language???

παρεδιδου (paredidou) – to hand over, commit, surrender

“Silence is one of the deepest Disciplines of the Spirit simply because it puts the stopper on all self-justification…One of the fruits of silence is the freedom to let God be our justifier…Perhaps more than anything else, silence brings us to believe that God can care for us – ‘reputation and all.’” -Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline

Not defending yourself is a form of suffering and it’s one Jesus knows well. God is our Defender. Let him play that part and let’s resign from playing that part ourselves.

Romans 12:17-19 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

Do not repay ANYONE evil for evil. Don’t let the evil done to you cause evil within you. Take a pointer from Jesus on this one – “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing.” Do what is right in the eyes of EVERYONE. As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Self-control is the only kind of control we can have and it is a fruit of the Spirit. Do not take revenge…leave that for God.

I am more familiar with today’s topic than I wish I was. While I do not believe God causes evil things to happen to us, I do believe He allows evil things to happen to us and He is able to use those bad things for our good. There are things God has to prune out of our lives so that we will be even more fruitful. And I believe that He is doing a deep work in me to remove 2 needs I’ve been living with for so long – the need for approval AND the need for control.

How is God removing false needs like this from my life? Well, if you have a need for approval, the only way to get over that is by having people disapprove of you and realizing you’re going to be okay as long as God’s approval rests on you. And if you have a need for control, the only way that gets broken in your life is if you do what God calls you to do and you realize doing the right thing doesn’t control what people say about you or do to you.

Next week we’re going to talk about the practice of releasing outcomes. We’ll talk about how we do what God calls us to do but then trust Him for the outcomes. In this message on refusing to defend yourself, we’re really talking about how to release the outcome of our reputation. What truths do you need to know in order to release the outcome of your reputation into the hands of God?

Romans 8:31-34 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

How do you release your reputation into the hands of God? You remind yourself that God is for you. He already gave you Jesus, so He’s not holding out on what you need most. No matter the false accusations, God is your justifier…which means you don’t need to be justified by other humans and you certainly don’t have to justify yourself. There’s no condemnation in Christ Jesus. And Jesus is currently interceding for you.

Response:

-Trust in God as your Justifier

-Don’t repay evil. Forgive.

-But don’t receive the condemnation.

-Stand firm in the truth of who God is and who you are to God.

-Keep handing yourself over to the One who holds all truth and all power.