Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”
They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.” John 7:50-52

It takes a lot of courage to go against the grain of what others are thinking, even if the truth is on your side. Some people “love the fight.” Others avoid it if at all possible. Most of us fit in the middle somewhere making sure we choose our battles wisely. It’s certainly a passive approach and the issue must really be important for it to surface and for you to get into the fight.

Nicodemus, who John describes as one “of their own number”, knew this was a battle worth fighting for. He could have sat idly by while they besmirched his name in private. Look at how he approached it, with a simple non-confrontative question. If you recall, Nicodemus asked Jesus very pertinent questions: “How can someone be born when they are old?” and “How can this be?” when told about being born of the Spirit. So now that Nicodemus “get it,” he is able to ask thought-provoking questions of his fellow Pharisees.

It’s worth repeating, you don’t need to “win” the entire argument to be effective. Asking the right questions will go a long way in getting people to think.