Have you ever felt that you were banging your head against a stone wall while you are talking to someone? I have, and it's very frustrating!
I believe that Jesus is telling his disciples not to bother trying to convince someone of their message of the Kingdom if they just keep arguing with him. The same can be said of people arguing today. Arguments don't convince anyone of anything, and could lead to violence.
For years, I was told not to discuss politics and religion with anyone I didn't know. The premise was that if the other person was of a different faith or a different political party, the discussion could lead to a fight and this could end a potential friendship. Sad to say, this is often the case!
But we are called to speak the truth, and to speak it respectfully. If there is a disagreement, then we can agree to disagree. I learned this early on at the dinner table when I was a child, and later in discussions with friends and colleagues.
Often, all those in the discussion want the same thing, either with regards to justice, or in letting people know about God and the promises of Jesus. However, we didn't always see eye to eye on the best ways to achieve our ends.
We disagree about God and who has the "right" way to follow him. We want justice, but we disagree over who deserves justice. Once we have closed our minds to facts, no amount of information will change it.
The Lord wants us to know truth, no matter who has it, and I have come to believe that we all have a piece of truth and we should be open to listen as well as to share what we know. For example, we all have a different experience of God's presence in our lives. No one can say that my experience is wrong, or that your experience is wrong.
We need to be open to discussion and closed to arguments. If we are unsure of something to do with our faith, we have the Bible to check out the truth.
