full circle

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 28:16-20

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

17 And after seeing him they worshiped him, but some doubted.

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in the sky and on the land has been given to me.

19 So, after you go, make disciples of all nations, by baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 and by teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And see, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

full circle

 

Jesus met His disciples in Galilee—the place where everything began for them. It was the region where they first heard His call, where they left their nets, where they committed their lives to follow Him. And it was there, in that familiar landscape, that He entrusted them with His final earthly command: MAKE DISCIPLES.

In essence, Jesus told them to reproduce the very process that had shaped them. What He had done in them, they were now to do in others. And Matthew is honest enough to tell us that some still doubted. Their confidence wavered, but their commission did not. Jesus did not wait for perfect certainty. He sent them because truth, not human confidence, is the power behind disciple‑making.

Yet their mission would not begin in Galilee. Jesus directed them to start in Jerusalem—hostile, dangerous Jerusalem. “After you go,” He says, implying movement, obedience, and trust. And He knew they would not be ready until the Sacred Breath descended at Pentecost. The Spirit would turn scattered sheep into bold witnesses. The same men who once fled in fear would soon stand unshaken before rulers and crowds.

Jesus then outlines the two great movements of disciple‑making.
First, bringing people to the point of commitment to the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—what He calls baptism. Today we often call this evangelism, but Jesus frames it as a relational allegiance, a public declaration of belonging to the Triune God.

Second, a lifelong process of teaching these new disciples to obey everything He commanded. This is not mere information transfer. It is formation—learning to live by the rules of the kingdom from the sky, embodying its values, its priorities, its way of life.

And with that, Matthew brings us full circle. He has shown us how a disciple becomes a discipler. He has shown us the journey from following Jesus to helping others follow Him. Now he places the question before his readers—before us: Will we respond to Jesus the way he did? Will we step into the commission that began in Galilee and continues to this day?

LORD, we accept the power of Pentecost. Empower us by Your Spirit to be disciplers—faithful, courageous, and obedient to Your call.

Posted in commitment, discipleship, evangelism, missions, witness | Tagged | Leave a comment

two other commissions

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 28:1-15

1 Now after the Sabbath, when the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.

2 And see, there was a great earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from the sky and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

3 He looked like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow.

4 And out of dread of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.

5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are seeking Jesus who was crucified.

6 He is not here, because he has risen, as he said. Come, look at the place where he lay.

7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and see, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”

8 So they left quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

9 And see, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.

10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

11 While they were going, see, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place.

12 And when they had assembled with the elders and conspired together, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers

13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and took him away while we were asleep.’

14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”

15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

two other commissions

 

Before Matthew records Jesus’ Great Commission, he shows us two other commissions—two competing missions that still shape the world today.

First, there is the commission given to the women on resurrection morning. They were the first witnesses of the risen Christ, and they were entrusted with a simple but world‑shaping task: “Go and tell my brothers… tell them I am alive… tell them to meet Me in Galilee.” Their mission was to gather the very people who would soon be sent to the nations. It was a commission to assemble the church before the church was commissioned.

And that calling has never ended. Not everyone is sent across oceans, but every believer is called to help gather, support, encourage, and send those who are. The Great Commission is not only for the goers—it is also for the senders. The women ran with joy to deliver their message. We are invited to run with the same joy today.

The second commission is far darker. The soldiers were paid to deny the resurrection—to suppress the truth before it could spread. They were instructed to use their influence, their authority, and their credibility to keep the world from hearing that Christ had risen. They didn’t have to preach a counter‑gospel. They didn’t have to argue theology. They simply had to stay silent and let the lie stand.

That commission still echoes as well. There are always forces—political, cultural, spiritual—that benefit when Christ is ignored. The world does not need to deny Him outright; it only needs to drown His voice in noise and distraction.

Between these two commissions—the call to gather and send, and the pressure to silence and suppress—hangs the fate of a lost world. One leads to life. The other leads to darkness. And every believer must choose which commission they will obey.

LORD, we choose to gather, to support, and to send those whom You are calling to the nations. Strengthen our resolve to stand with Your mission and not be silent about the risen Christ.

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the oldest alternative

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 27:57-66

57 When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea came, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus.

58 He went to Pilate and requested the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.

59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud

60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.

61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting outside the tomb.

62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled in front of Pilate

63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’

64 So, order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, so that his disciples do not go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last hoax will be worse than the first.”

65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

the oldest alternative

Bloomberg calls the allegation that the disciples stole Jesus’ body “the oldest alternative to faith in the risen Christ.”[1]

 

We are asked to believe that the disciples—who ran for their lives when Jesus was arrested—suddenly transformed into fearless masterminds capable of stealing a guarded corpse. According to this theory, these terrified men somehow overpowered Roman soldiers, broke the seal of a tomb, carried off Jesus’ body, hid it so perfectly that it was never discovered, and then spent the rest of their lives boldly preaching a message they knew was a lie.

And for what? Not for wealth. Not for power. Not for comfort. Most of them were hunted, imprisoned, tortured, or executed. Yet they never recanted. Not one of them broke under pressure and said, “We made it all up.” That is not how conspiracies work. That is not how frightened men behave. And that is not how people act when they know their message is false.

The simplest explanation is the one the disciples themselves gave: Jesus rose from the dead. They did not risk their lives for a memory. They did not preach a metaphor. They proclaimed a living Lord whom they had seen, touched, and eaten with after His resurrection. Their courage was not born of imagination—it was born of encounter.

And that is why their testimony still stands. The Christ they served is alive. The Christ we serve is alive. And the Christ who rose is the Christ who will return.

LORD, we put our faith in You, the risen Christ. You are alive, reigning, and coming again. Strengthen our confidence in Your resurrection and anchor our hope in Your promised return.

[1] Craig Bloomberg, New American Commentary, vol. 22. (Kindle location 10840).

Posted in commitment, Jesus Christ, resurrection | Tagged | 1 Comment

footnote to triumph

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 27:45-56

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”[1] that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

47 And some of the bystanders, after hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”

48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.

49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”

50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and let out his spirit.

51 And see, the curtain of the temple was torn in half, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks split open.

52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,

53 and when they came out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

54 When the centurion and those who were with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with terror and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him,

56 among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

footnote to triumph

What seems like a cry of ultimate despair from our Lord’s mouth is anything but that. Read it. Read psalm 22 in its entirety. It is so prophetic; it is like a thousand year echo of the crucifixion. You can hear the mocking, the calls for Jesus to let God deliver him from the cross. You can see Jesus being poured out like water, all his bones out of joint from the ordeal. You can see the pierced hands and feet! You can see the garments being divided among the soldiers!

Look how it ends! “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.”[2] These are not the words of a defeated loser. They speak of the ultimate triumph. Jesus on the cross gave us a footnote that spoke of the reason for his suffering. He had not lost his mind.

Neither had he lost his power. He knew that God had not forsaken him. His power was there, and he used it to shake the earth. He raised some dead saints, even as he was taking his final breaths. His power was displayed so dramatically that even the ones watching him die concluded that he was the Son of God.

LORD, in our moments of deepest despair and misery, remind us of your triumph on the cross. Remind us that there is no tragedy, no defeat, and no misery that we can ever face that will ever take away that victory that you have won for us.

[1] Psalm 22:1 in Aramaic.

[2] Psalm 22:27-31 ESV.

Posted in future, Jesus Christ, resurrection, suffering | Tagged | 1 Comment

they made him do it

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 27:27-44

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion in front of him.

28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,

29 and after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spat on him and took the reed and hit him on the head.

31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes back on him and led him away to crucify him.

32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, called Simon. They forced this man to carry his cross.

33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull),

34 They offered him wine to drink, mixed with a bitter herb, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.

35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among them by casting lots.

36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.

37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.

39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads

40 and saying, “You who wanted to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, deliver yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying,

42 “He delivered others; he cannot deliver himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.'”

44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

 

They made him do it

 

Simon of Cyrene is remembered because he was forced to carry Jesus’ cross. But he is the exception, not the rule. No one else in the story was compelled to do what they did. The soldiers could have claimed they were “just following orders,” but no one ordered them to mock Jesus, to spit on Him, to gamble for His last earthly possessions. That cruelty came from their own hearts.

The religious leaders and community officials joined in as well. They had already condemned Him, but that wasn’t enough—they added mockery to murder. The bystanders, swept up in the moment, hurled their insults too. Even the criminals suffering beside Jesus—men who knew the sting of judgment—used their final breaths to heap shame on Him.

No one had to do any of this. Every act of cruelty was a choice. And that is the sobering truth: there are no excuses for harming others simply because we have the power or opportunity to do so. At the cross, humanity reveals its ugliest instincts—mockery, violence, indifference, and the willingness to wound what we do not understand.

And yet, at that same cross, divinity shines in its most radiant form. Jesus responds to hatred with mercy, to mockery with silence, to violence with forgiveness. While the world shows no compassion for Him, He shows compassion for the world. In the place where human sin reaches its darkest depth, God’s love rises to its highest height.

LORD, thank You for enduring the cross. Thank You for showing compassion when none was shown to You. Teach us to reflect Your mercy in a world still so quick to wound.

[1] Luke 23:39-43 tells us that one of the robbers changed his mind and defended him.

Posted in compassion, Jesus Christ, love | Tagged | 1 Comment

Pilate’s choice

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 27:11-26

11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have spoken.”

12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer.

13 Then Pilate replied to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?”

14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly shocked.

15 Now at the feast the governor used to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted.

16 And they had then an infamous prisoner called Barabbas.

17 So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”

18 Because he knew that it was out of envy that they had handed him over.

19 Also, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.”

20 So the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.

21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.”

22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!”

23 And he said, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted even more, “Let him be crucified!”

24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”

25 And all the people answered, “May his blood be on our children and on us!”

26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Pilate’s choice

 

Pilate’s moral code is every bit as compromised as that of the chief priests. He knew—clearly, repeatedly, unmistakably—that Jesus was innocent. He knew the religious leaders had delivered Him up out of envy, not justice. He heard his own wife plead with him after her troubling dream, calling Jesus a righteous man. Every warning light on Pilate’s dashboard was flashing. And still, he refused to act on what he knew to be true.

Instead of wielding his authority with integrity, he surrendered it to the very crowd he was supposed to govern. He let fear of unrest outweigh the demands of righteousness. He washed his hands, but not his conscience. And one day, Pilate will stand before the risen Jesus—the Judge of all the earth. No excuses will remain. He had a choice, and he chose the wrong thing.

And so do we. Every day. Our choices may not be as dramatic as Pilate’s, but they are just as real. A thousand influences—fear, fatigue, pressure, desire, habit—push and pull on us. But in the end, the choice is still ours. We cannot outsource our obedience. We cannot blame the crowd. We cannot wash our hands of responsibility for the decisions we make.

God sees the heart. God weighs the motives. God honors the person who chooses what is right even when it is costly, lonely, or misunderstood.

LORD, give us the wisdom to make the right moral choices. Shape our desires, steady our hearts, and strengthen our will so that we choose what honors You, even when the pressure is great.

Posted in discernment, judgment, obedience, responsibility | Tagged | 1 Comment

a few coins and an enormous debt

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 27:1-10

1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put him to death.

2 And they tied him up and led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.

3 Then, when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders,

4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? Take care of it yourself.”

5 And after throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he left, and he went and hanged himself.

6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not proper to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.”

7 So they conspired and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers.

8 Therefore, that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

9 Then what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel,

10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”

a few coins and an enormous debt

 

The chief priests lived by a strange and twisted moral code. They had no trouble handing Judas a bag of silver to betray the Son of God. They had no hesitation in plotting the murder of the Messiah. Yet when Judas threw the money back at them, suddenly they became scrupulous. “We can’t put this blood money into the temple treasury,” they said—as if the coins themselves were the real problem.

What a tragic irony. They worried about contaminating an account ledger while their own souls were drowning in guilt. From the vantage point of eternity, the question of where those coins were deposited is microscopic. But the charge written against their moral account—the deliberate rejection and execution of the Lord’s Anointed—is weight beyond measure.

Scripture is clear: there is a judgment. There is a Gehenna, a place where every sin must be answered for. And every human being, from the most outwardly religious to the most openly rebellious, stands under that sentence—unless their name is found in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Only those whose sins are covered by the atoning death of Jesus will stand uncondemned.

Yet here these religious leaders stand, debating the ethics of a financial transaction while ignoring the horror of their own actions. They strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. And before we shake our heads too quickly, we must admit: we are often just like them. We obsess over small moral details while ignoring the deeper issues of the heart. We polish the outside of the cup while leaving the inside untouched.

What an odd, self-deceiving lot we humans are.

LORD, give us Your eternal perspective. Teach us to see the true weight of our choices, to value what You value, and to turn from the small distractions that keep us from dealing honestly with our own hearts.

Posted in atonement, depravity, destruction in hell, hypocrisy | Tagged | 1 Comment

what Jesus knows

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 26:69-75

69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.”

70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.”

71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus from Nazareth.”

72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.”

73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, because your accent betrays you.”

74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed.

75 And Peter remembered what Jesus had said, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

what Jesus knows

Today’s post serves as a necessary balance to yesterday’s “believe in yourself” post. Peter could muster up enough courage to boast that he would never deny his Lord, but Jesus knew that he was weak, and that he would deny him. The good news is that Jesus did not use that knowledge as justification for abandoning Peter. He knew and loved Peter, in weakness and in strength.

Jesus can literally look beyond our failures and weaknesses because he already sees us in our perfected state, with billions of years of glorification in our future. The LORD is already there. He knows the destiny that we have to take by faith. He knows both our present failures and our future repentance and restoration. He has the true perspective on us. When we are tempted to boast of our commitment, he can see holes in our armor. But he also sees the end of the battle.

LORD, keep our eyes focused on you, and prevent us from overestimating our own resources.

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what others think

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 26:57-68

57 Then those who had arrested Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had assembled.

58 And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the result.

59 Now the chief priests and the whole Council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death,

60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward

61 and they said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.'”

62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”

63 But Jesus remained quiet. And the high priest said to him, “I charge you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

64 Jesus said to him, “You have spoken. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of the sky.”

65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has committed blasphemy. What further testimonies do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy.

66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”

67 Then they spit in his face and hit him. And some slapped him,

68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that hit you?”

what others think

Those who had heard Jesus’ prediction recorded in John 2:19-21 would have known it was not about the Jerusalem temple, so Jesus saw no reason to correct the accusation. He knew it would be a waste of time. Instead, he gave his accusers all the ammunition they wanted. He not only admitted that he is the Messiah, but he spoke of …

  • his present authority (“seated at the right hand of Power”)
  • and his glorious future (“coming on the clouds of the sky”).

Though the world reject him, they cannot change his status before his Father, nor his destiny as the coming king.

Like our Savior, we also will face rejection and betrayal in this life. We should not worry too much about that rejection, for the same reasons. What other people think about you does not change what God thinks about you. What other people think about us does not change our destiny. We should believe in ourselves. Our Father does.

LORD, keep our eyes focused on you, and protect us from doubting ourselves as recipients of your grace, and heirs of your promises.

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showdown

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 26:47-56

47 While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people.

48 And the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him.”

49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him.

50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.

51 And see, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.

52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. Because all who take up the sword will die by the sword.

53 Do you think that I am unable to appeal to my Father, and he would immediately send me more than twelve legions of angels?

54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that say it must be like this?”

55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me.

56 But all this has taken place so that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.

showdown

Perhaps Peter, who was the swordsman in this event, [1] thought that this was the showdown. Perhaps he thought that they had come to the time of testing, and Jesus wanted to know if he was willing to die defending his master. Yes, this was the time of testing alright, but not that way. The real test was to see whether Jesus would be willing to allow himself to be arrested, humiliated, and killed without interfering. Lest we think that Jesus was merely teaching pacifism here, he adds that “this has taken place so that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Jesus knew what was coming, and his choice to allow his own arrest was for our good. He loved this world he created so much that he was not going to let self-preservation get in the way of its rescue.

For you and me, showdown will come as well. There will be moments when we will be forced to choose between what we want and what is ultimately right. In those times, what we want will be defendable, but wrong. In those times, my prayer for us is that we will see our master holding his hand up, keeping us from doing something stupid.

LORD, help us to see your halting hand in the showdown times. May we have the wisdom to do what is right, not just what we can defend.

[1] John 18:10.

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