A Common Sense Time to Answer a Mocker

When dealing with mockers and scoffers have you ever noticed how they throw lots of arguments and rationale out at you that don’t really make a whole lot of sense?  They are so bent on their opinion that they pick really lame foolish arguments to attack you.  You also know from a spiritual standpoint that they are being foolish to the point where they might be hindering their own spiritual well-being.  We have a tendency as humans to want to argue back and make our point.  We love debating and proving ourselves right.  We really do want them to see the truth.  We really want them to have a strong faith in God and in the Bible.  However, a lot of times when we debate and argue, we really don’t get anywhere with them.  We just end up frustrated and angry.  We make them frustrated and angry.  We even sometimes drive them further away from God.  We really need to study how Jesus dealt with mockers and scoffers.  He used different approaches.  We never did see him just argue and debate with them.  Sometimes He answered their foolish questions and statements and sometimes He didn’t.  This goes back to a bit of wisdom we find in Proverbs 26: 4-5.

“4 Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness, or you’ll be like him yourself. 5 Answer a fool according to his foolishness, or he’ll become wise in his own eyes.”

It sounds like two contradictory verses, but really they are not.  It’s just learning wisdom or common sense in dealing with someone who appears to be foolish.  Sometimes it is necessary to answer them and sometimes it is just not worth it.  We need to learn to depend on the Holy Spirit and study God’s Word to get a handle on how to answer a mocker or scoffer.  We will gain common sense as we study Jesus and how He took care of those people in His life.  We will gradually gain enough common sense to know when it is the right time to answer a mocker.