Coleton began with a piercing question:
“How much do you think Jesus agrees with the way you live your life?”
He invited listeners to imagine Jesus observing everything—how they spend time and money, how they treat people, what they watch, post, and prioritize. Would Jesus agree with most of it, or would He find much to challenge and correct?
Coleton quoted author Anne Lamott:
“You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.”
Then he adapted it:
Coleton began with a piercing question:
“How much do you think Jesus agrees with the way you live your life?”
He invited listeners to imagine Jesus observing everything—how they spend time and money, how they treat people, what they watch, post, and prioritize. Would Jesus agree with most of it, or would He find much to challenge and correct?
Coleton quoted author Anne Lamott:
“You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.”
Then he adapted it:
“You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God agrees with everything you do.”
He reminded the congregation that Jesus does disagree with us—and that it’s not a mark of rejection but of love. Since He is infinite, holy, and perfect, and we are finite and sinful, it only makes sense that His view of our lives will often clash with ours.
“Jesus’ disagreement with sin in our lives led to the most loving act anyone could do for another person—to lay down His life for them.”
Coleton emphasized that in our culture, disagreement is often seen as unloving—but Scripture teaches the opposite. Jesus loves us enough to confront what destroys us.
The key question, then, becomes:
“What is your response when Jesus disagrees with you?”
From Mark 11:27–33, Coleton showed three wrong ways to respond when Jesus disagrees with us—and one right one.
1. Questioning Jesus’ Authority (vv. 27–28)
“By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”
The religious leaders asked Jesus this because He had just cleansed the temple and publicly called them out as a “den of robbers.” They weren’t questioning because they were curious—they were questioning because He disagreed with them.
Coleton said:
“If Jesus had agreed, they wouldn’t have questioned. They would have used Him to prove their points.”
And we do the same. When a verse affirms our views or lifestyle, we post it, memorize it, and celebrate it. But when Scripture disagrees with us—when it calls out sin, pride, greed, gossip, or unforgiveness—we tend to ignore it, reinterpret it, or go silent.
“We question His authority by avoiding the verses that disagree with us.”
Coleton illustrated this with historical examples of people literally cutting parts out of the Bible:
- Thomas Jefferson’s Bible, which removed miracles and Jesus’ divinity.
- The “Slave Bible,” edited by slave owners to remove verses about freedom and equality.
- The Nazi Bible, which stripped out all Jewish references and messages of mercy.
“They didn’t argue that the verses were untrue—they just silenced them.”
Then he asked a haunting question:
“If a Bible were written based on your life, what would it include—and what would it exclude?”
He called this the “MPT”—My Personal Translation—the version of the Bible where “Jesus agrees with every decision I make.”
Reflection
We may not use scissors like Jefferson, but we do it subtly in our hearts—ignoring passages like:
- “Forgive as you’ve been forgiven.”
- “Love your enemies.”
- “Give sacrificially.”
- “Do not gossip.”
- “Live at peace with everyone.”
Coleton challenged listeners to ask:
“Where do you question Jesus by simply silencing verses that disagree with you?”
2. Seeking to Discredit Jesus (v. 28)
Coleton explained that the religious leaders’ question wasn’t sincere—it was a trap.
“They don’t actually want to know. They’re trying to find a reason not to listen.”
William Lane, in his commentary, observes:
“Whatever answer Jesus gives, the conclusion is the same: He must be arrested. If He attests that His authority is from God, the charge is blasphemy. If He claims secular authority, the charge is insurrection.”
Their goal wasn’t truth—it was to discredit Jesus so they wouldn’t have to change.
“They knew they couldn’t disprove Him, so they tried to discredit Him.”
Coleton drew a parallel to how we do the same today—finding reasons why Jesus’ words don’t apply to us:
- The Feels – “That doesn’t feel right.”
- Your Truth – “That might be true for you, but not for me.”
- The Snowflake Situation – “My situation is different.”
- The Cultural Argument – “That was for a different time.”
- Proof-texting – Quoting a verse out of context to justify sin.
- Minimizing – “It’s not a big deal; God will forgive me.”
- Justifying – “They made me do it. I deserve this.”
- Comparison – “At least I’m not as bad as that person.”
- Calling the Bible Outdated – “That doesn’t fit in the modern world.”
He quoted Tim Keller:
“Society makes judgments through what C.S. Lewis called ‘chronological snobbery,’ assuming that whatever has gone out of date is discredited.”
Coleton said:
“All of these are ways we say, ‘I don’t have to do that because…’”
And every time we do, we’re discrediting Jesus’ authority in our lives. We’re finding clever excuses to stay unchanged.
He asked pointedly:
“Where do you say to God’s Word, ‘That doesn’t apply to me because…’?”
3. Refusing to Admit You’re Wrong (vv. 29–33)
When Jesus asks about John’s baptism, the religious leaders discuss it among themselves and say:
“If we say ‘from heaven,’ He’ll ask why we didn’t believe him. If we say ‘of human origin,’ the people will turn on us.”
So they choose neither—they simply say, “We don’t know.”
Coleton summarized:
“They refused to admit they were wrong.”
Their hearts were hardened by pride and self-protection. They cared more about image and position than about truth.
“So they go with, ‘We’re not wrong. We just don’t know.’”
Coleton explained that we often react the same way:
- Some get angry, scaring others away from confronting them.
- Some get quiet and hurt, shutting down correction.
- Some deny or deflect, blaming others.
- Some avoid anyone who might challenge them—skipping counseling, ignoring Scripture, cutting off truth-tellers.
“If you never admit you’re wrong, you’ll never grow, never change, never heal.”
He pointed out that the story ends abruptly—no one changed, nothing improved—and that’s what happens to us when we refuse correction.
“Places where we’re desperate for change—healing, reconciliation—will stay the same if we refuse to be wrong.”
Whether it’s in marriage, parenting, finances, or character, refusing to be wrong means refusing to be transformed.
Conclusion: Jesus Disagrees Because He Loves You
Coleton closed with a tender image:
“Jesus disagrees with you the way a guardrail disagrees with a car about to go off a cliff.”
Guardrails aren’t there to restrict—they’re there to protect.
“He disagrees with you not to hurt you, but to help you.”
He compared it to fatherhood:
“When my son Teddy was little, I disagreed with his desire to crawl or stay in diapers. Not because I’m cruel—but because I love him and want him to grow.”
That’s how Jesus treats us. He disagrees with our sin because He wants us to mature and flourish.
The cross is the greatest example:
“The cross shows how much He disagrees with sin—someone had to die for it. But it also shows how much He loves us—He took the punishment Himself.”
His disagreement isn’t rejection—it’s redemption. He corrects us not to restrict our joy, but to lead us to real joy.
“There are things He wants to do in your life—things you’ve prayed for—but you and Jesus disagree on how to get there.”
So instead of questioning Him, discrediting Him, or refusing to be wrong—respond with humility.
“Let Him disagree with you. Let Him lead you from something lesser into something better.”
Discussion Questions
- What areas of your life do you think Jesus would most disagree with, and why do you think those areas are hard to surrender?
- Which of the three wrong responses—questioning, discrediting, or refusing to admit wrong—do you most identify with?
- Can you think of a time when Jesus’ disagreement actually led to your growth or freedom?
- Why is it difficult for us to believe that disagreement and love can coexist—and how does the cross change that perspective?
- What practical step could you take this week to respond to Jesus’ correction with humility instead of defensiveness?
