A wise man once wrote, "Do the thing and let them howl." Jesus knew how unpopular some of his decisions were going to be with others, yet he let them howl.
"Why do you concern yourselves with the approval that comes from man but do not worry about the approval that comes from God?" John 5:44
Howler monkeys have been rated as the loudest animal in the world but they are far from the most powerful. In fact, they are cowards. That’s why they howl. Judas cried, "Jesus, she’s wasting money." Pontius Pilate said, "You don’t know how much power I have here." The Pharisees howled, "You are from the devil himself." Even Peter contested, "Don’t go into Jerusalem."
Sometimes we just want a peaceful life. We want to be let alone. So we give in and do what people want so they won’t howl. We’ve all seen it in the grocery store with children. The greatest challenge we face in life sometimes is recognizing those life-defining moments when we need to do what needs to be done even those some will howl.
Jesus probably met with a few complaints when he turned water into wine. He was, after all, improving their drinking. But when he turned their system upside down, they began to howl because now he was affecting their drinking.
I like what Jesus said in John 6:41 "Your approval or disapproval means nothing to me." It wasn’t that he didn’t care. He just knew when to care. Do you? Sometimes the best thing we can do is to let them howl.