Ever had a critic…or two? We are tempted to think that if we did things better, or never made mistakes, we would never have critics. But it fascinates me that even Jesus—the son of God—had critics. Despite his abilities to heal, help and lead, people still criticized him. So, what can we learn from Jesus as it relates to dealing with critics?
Today is Good Friday, the day we remember Jesus’ death on the cross. I was reading through this specific passage on Good Friday from Luke 23 today, and some powerful examples from Jesus’ life come to light. If you’ve ever wondered What would Jesus do?—even in the most extreme of circumstances—here is what he did:
If you’ve ever wondered What would Jesus do?—even in the most extreme of circumstances—here is what he did:
- After Jesus was arrested, he was beaten and then accused of sedition before the Roman governor Pilate, who asked “Are you the King of the Jews?” The reason Pilate asked this was to see if he was responsible for uprisings against the occupying Roman army. Jesus simply told the truth. While he never incited a riot, he replied “It is as you say.” He didn’t qualify, he didn’t nuance, he was simply honest. Under the pressure of a political powder-keg, Jesus spoke the truth.
In a pressure-filled situation, Jesus spoke the truth.
- After he is nailed to the cross, the soldiers around him cast lots to see who would get his garments. Apparently, this garment was woven without seams…a rare, valuable piece of clothing. So, as Jesus is on the cross with nails piercing his wrists—torquing the nerves in the carpal tunnel area and sending a constant, fiery sensation throughout his body—he watches his executioners gambling for his clothes. He is naked, in excruciating pain and his only possessions are being carried away. In spite of all this he says “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.” In an excruciating, spite-filled situation, Jesus forgave.
In an excruciating, spite-filled situation, Jesus forgave.
- As a large crowd watched on, there were two men crucified on either side of him; thieves who were being punished for their crimes. One scoffed “If you’re the Messiah, get yourself down and get us all out of here!” The second thief said to the first “You’re facing death and all you can do is make a joke of it?” He then turns to Jesus and says “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus ignores the scoffing, but responds to the second man, saying “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Jesus ignored the scoffer but assured the seeker. He spoke hope into a seemingly hopeless situation.
Jesus spoke hope into a seemingly hopeless situation.
- Finally, at noon a darkness came over the land for a 3-hour period. There were earthquakes and the sound of splitting rock. At that time Jesus said “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands.” Then taking his final breath he died. In his final moments, Jesus doesn’t despair, he doesn’t lash out verbally at the soldiers, he doesn’t whimper. Instead he focuses on what is most important: he entrusts himself into God’s hands. People may fail you, but God never will. His final words were words of trust in his Father.
Jesus’ final words were words of trust in his Father.
Chances are that you and I will never face this kind of torturous, life-threatening scenario. But in the shadow of Jesus’ death, four things stand out:
First, under accusation he spoke the truth: his words reflected reality. Second, in great pain he forgave the unforgivable. Third, before an audience of critics, he didn’t respond to his critics but spoke words of hope to the receptive. Fourth, with his final breath he entrusted himself to the only One who can ensure our future: God the Father himself.
I hope today, in every difficult situation, you can rely on God’s goodness by speaking what’s true, by forgiving others (even if they never forgive in return) and by speaking hope into a hopeless situation. This is possible as you continue to entrust yourself to your heavenly Father who is good—even when our present situation may not seem so good…because remember, Sunday’s coming.
Happy Good Friday.
Your Daily Encouragement 