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In some arenas, one who is willing to compromise is a hero. However, when it comes to spiritual truth, compromise is deadly to the compromiser as well as those who follow him/her. Jesus, though conciliatory in many ways, had no give and take when it came to spiritual truth. He stood against all forms of error without regards to who might stand with Him or against Him when He took such a stance. Consider some instances when compromise would have been a lesser man's way to resolve an issue but in which Jesus refused to compromise.

The Pharisees in Matthew 12.38 asked Jesus for a sign. However, Jesus refused to give them a sign, citing their lack of a receptive heart as reason (Matthew 12.29-45). Certainly Jesus could have given them a sign; his power was not lessened by their lack of faith or hardened heart. As J. D. Bales put it in his little booklet, Jesus, the Master Respondent, "To pile up evidence before those who were blinding themselves to it would only lead to additional hardening of their hearts." Therefore, Jesus refused to work a miracle to attempt to persuade those who were not persuadable. Jesus would not compromise the purpose of miracles in order to save face or answer the charges of unbelievers.

The fact that Jesus could have worked a miracle but did not certainly does not disprove His claims; it merely demonstrates His refusal to compromise. He was not about to be intimidated by the senseless probing of the Pharisees. With one mental wish, Jesus could have destroyed all of His enemies, including those who asked Him for a sign. However, had He done that or performed some other miraculous deed, nothing toward His Divine Mission would have been gained. His life was about His mission and He refused to compromise the mission for any cause whatsoever.

Jesus knew the purpose of miracles and He knew that to perform them before men of recalcitrant hearts would be counterproductive. Therefore His refusal is an evidence of His integrity in the matter. The easiest thing in the world for Him to have done would have been to cast a mountain into the sea or to have made bread out of stones – but such was not in the plan; such would have compromised the purpose of miracles and would have only resulted in the vindication of the Jesus' claims but would have done nothing regarding the gospel. Jesus had no interest in personal vindication, but rather was interested only in the exaltation of objective truth as it bore witness to the Divine work that had been given Him to do.

Jesus was a man who walked the walk and not just talked the talk. He had taught His disciples that they should discern the motives of men out of a pure heart. Hypocritical judgments were condemned while righteous judgments were commanded (see Matthew 7.1-5 and John 7.24). Strength of character demanded that Jesus be honest in all situations. When it came to confrontations of good and evil, right and wrong Jesus was and is the example. He did not shirk from judging others when it was time to do so. He did not cast His pearls before swine and He commanded His disciple to be discerning in the same manner. Jesus would not compromise, even in the most difficult of situations.

"Word from Scotland" from Sandy Shaw

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