"I don't care."

Picture Jesus saying those words. Kinda hard to. "So what? I don't care." Now, it doesn't translate just that way in Matthew 15, but that's what he's saying.

He's in the middle of raking the religious leaders over the coals for their hypocrisy (again), and calls some folks around him and tells them "Get this now -- It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; it's what comes out." His disciples pull him aside and say, kind of under their breath, I suspect, "Hey, listen -- these Pharisees, they don't care so much for that. They're really getting offended by what you're saying. you might wanta tone it down a little"

And Jesus says, "So? I don't care. Just let 'em be. They don't know what they're doing, and in the long run, they won't matter." (It says that, right there in vs. 13-14. No, really, it does. go look.)

You can say things like that when you're imbued with power and perfection, because you know you're right.

But I think I have enough timidity in me to keep from saying that more than occasionally. I have certain convictions that I am rock-solid-sure about. But I also have some convictions that I should use a word other than "convictions" for, because I'm strongly confident that I'm right about them, but I know I've been wrong before. And some others that I think I'm right, and can make (what seems to me) a good argument for, that I might also be wrong about to varying degrees.

The trouble is, I'm not always entirely sure which things fall into which of the last two categories. I try to speak as though I'm confident about it, but I tossed out a disclaimer during my sermon this week that needs to be spoken more often from the pulpit -- and not just mine, but from EVERY pulpit.

The disclaimer is this: Don't take my word for it, if your eternity depends on it. I'll do my best to steer you straight and true. But always, ALWAYS use your Bible to be sure that I'm right about it. And if you think I've missed something, or thought insufficiently about an idea, or am misinformed, then please, by all means, talk to me about it. I love to teach, and I love to learn, because I want to teach well, and I want to teach true.

I'd appreciate it if you'd give me a hand with that.