Jesus Acted With Urgency
Not Aggression
Jesus wasn’t any more inflated by the people who cheered Him on than He was deflated by the people who opposed Him.
He was secure.
Jesus knew who He was. He was convinced that the world needed what He had to offer, whether they understood that or not, accepted it or not.
Jesus said what He needed to say. He did what needed to be done. He didn’t consult with the religious leaders, His family or His disciples. He spoke up. He acted.
Consensus in this situation was the same as asking permission to save a life. He came to save those who were ready, not argue with those who weren’t.
When people didn’t understand what He was doing, and that often was the case, He didn’t respond with frustration. When they argued against His teachings, He didn’t become defensive.
He didn’t try to explain what He really meant. He didn’t use the but what about this and don’t you think that arguments.
Jesus showed us that the only answer to attitude is quiet resolve. But it takes a very strong, secure person to live by that rule.
He was secure in Himself. He didn’t answer every contrary response. He expected us to figure it out.
His own disciples doubted almost His entire ministry.
They believed early on, sure, but it took time for their belief to mature. They didn’t become steady until just before He ascended into heaven.
Instead of becoming frustrated when they failed to accept what He said, Jesus patiently worked to convince them. If His feelings got hurt, He never showed it.
Jesus expected people not to see, so He never accused them of being dull headed. He wants us to believe but He doesn’t personally need us to believe. He wasn’t looking for affirmation then, and He doesn’t need that now.
In the same vein, Jesus doesn’t need us to defend Him. We are told to defend the faith, yes, give an answer for our hope, yes, but faith and hope are concepts. These involve ideas around which we make arguments.
Jesus is a person, a particularly robust person.
Defending Jesus would be the equivalent of protecting a gorilla from an ant. He even said all forms of blasphemy against Him would be forgiven. Meaning, of course, that when people rail, the best response is to be yourself, preferably your Christian self.
We should emulate the security of Jesus.
THINK!AboutIt
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