Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. — Proverbs 26:4
As I think about the old saying that I have heard in my life, one of the ones that I often heard was “take the high road.” You are probably familiar as well, but if not, let me explain. The idea is that when someone does something wrong to you, you don’t respond in a similar manner to them.
But that’s exactly what our human nature wants to do. If someone does something wrong to us, we often want to respond to them in a way that may not be Christ-like. These responses are often harsh, without the love of Christ being the first thought in our minds. Perhaps it is that we want to teach them a lesson or get even with them. But that’s not what God would want.
While many will often refer back to Christ’s teachings regarding turning the other cheek, the idea goes back even further than that. Here, in the book of Proverbs, we read the wise statement of not responding to a fool according to his folly. In other words, don’t do to them what they did to you.
If someone lies to you, don’t lie to them. If they cheat you, don’t cheat them. If they steal from you, don’t steal from them. But above all else, if they do you wrong, don’t respond and do wrong to them. But that’s much easier said than done.
While someone may say you are “taking the high road,” it is actually living out the example of Jesus. We are called to be different, set apart from acting like this world, and to live like the example of Christ. While it’s easy to be caught up in responding like the rest of the world, the world should see a difference in us.
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