As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things… Luke 11:53 (ESV) Talking to people in order to provoke them and catch them saying something you can use against them is evil. All men can be provoked, for all men are sinners. However, these scribes and Pharisees were playing a game against one who was so far superior to them that they had no hope in “catching” Him. Jesus was not a mere man. He was and is God. He cannot be fooled, manipulated, or trapped. He will never say anything that is not true, and He has no opinions about anything, for He sees things as they are, always. The Pharisees and scribes trying to match wits with Jesus is like a five-year-old child trying to play football with an All-Pro. Unless the All-Pro has mercy on the five-year-old, it will be totally ugly. Jesus is merciful, and, once again, it showed here, in that lightning did not fall from heaven and consume the ignorant. I need to approach God to learn, not to inform or manipulate Him. If I honestly seek Him, I will find Him, and, in the end, I will be glad I did. Learn More at Relate365.com