Walking With Jesus Blog: May 2011

Jesus Eulogizes John the Baptist - 045
(The following lesson is based on Getting To Know Jesus lesson 045 in Getting To Know Jesus - Volume 04)

How to Treat Others
I recently celebrated my sixtieth birthday. Knowing Sylvia’s pendant to celebrate such events, especially “milestones” with some flare, I asked for a birthday party in lieu of anything else. What I got was about 120 friends gathering together to celebrate my birthday. I have never had a party like that thrown for me.

Included in the event was a dinner with lots of good food. We all laughed. They also presented a photo collage on PowerPoint that gave a brief overview of my life.

One of the things realized was that this was a celebration of my life and what I meant to others before I died. Funerals are somewhat similar, except the person had died.

Jesus had just been questioned by some of John the Baptist’s followers who were inquiring for John about whether Jesus was the Messiah. After answering their question, Jesus takes the opportunity to say a few things about John the Baptist. Even in this event, there are lessons for us!

Challenge Errant Thinking – Matthew 11:7-10; Luke 7:24-27
Jesus begins by expressing the Jewish contemporary opinion of John. He does not do it as a put down, but merely a neutral observation. He reiterates what the most people were expecting of John. Then He presents the truth.

Be careful what you SAY
Even Christians get involved in errant rhetoric. Political bashing, criticizing of other Christians or Christian organizations, etc. is not constructive to our Christian witness.

Seek to REASON, not ARGUE
We can’t reach those who are engaged in sexual immorality, drug addicts, or people who condone sinful activities if we just all out attack them. We must show them that we understand what they are thinking, explain where that thinking comes from and then point out its fallacies.

Speak the TRUTH in LOVE
We do want to be able to explain God’s way in a manner that the other person will understand and not feel like they are being attacked.

Speak Well of Others – Matthew 11:11-15; Luke 7:28-30
Jesus goes on to tell the people that there has never been a spokesman for God as great as John the Baptist. When you think of men like Abraham, David, Isaiah, Elijah, Elisha and Jeremiah, that is quite a statement.

Don’t put OTHER people DOWN
When I hear someone putting someone else down, my nature is to think less of the one talking than of the one they are talking about. We don’t build ourselves up by putting others down, but by speaking about the good in other people’s lives.

Find the GOOD in other people and COMMEND them for it
Mom said, “If you have nothing good to say, say nothing.” Will Rogers said that he never met a man he didn’t like. We need to look for the good in others and speak that good to them and about them. That will make other think good of us also.

Don’t Reject God’s Anointed – Matthew 11:16-19; Luke 7:31-35
Jesus reflects on how some Jews are trying to Him into a mold that He doesn’t fit. Rather than seeing who He is in God, they are trying to tell Him whom He can or cannot be.

Don’t criticize other CHRISTIANS
It is a dangerous thing when we start to criticize other Christians just because they believe or worship different. There are so many people going to hell who need the clear message of salvation that we don’t have time to waste criticizing how others do it. If they are doing something that is not Scriptural, go to them in private. Don’t talk behind their back.

The law by which you JUDGE is the law by which you will be JUDGED
It is likewise unwise to criticize another person for how they are doing their job, managing their money, treating their spouse or raising their children just because you don’t like how they are doing it.

CONCLUSION
What you say about others will come back to what others say about you and how they treat you! Remember the Golden Rule? Are you someone who is often talking about others in an uncomplimentary way or are you someone who always defends the underdog and builds other people up?

In Getting To Know Jesus - 046, we are going to get some insights on Jesus’ attitude towards women. The Women’s Lib movement needs to join us as we look into this matter.