Losing what you have won't kill you
Jesus was mistreated and betrayed and abandoned and insulted. He never responded in kind; He always responded with kindness.
Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you. (Luke 6:28-31)
Jesus sure did say some crazy things during His earthly ministry. Read the Gospels for yourself if you don’t believe me. Jesus preached radical things, revolutionary things, insane things. C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity stated:
“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell.”
Jesus wasn’t a great man of morality. The things He said would make Him a danger to society if He were just a man. Either He was a liar and a lunatic—or He is Lord. There is no other choice.
Jesus told His followers to do crazy things. To see the good in the ones who hurt us. To intercede for those who hate us. To surrender our possessions to those who would steal them. To treat others the way we want to be treated no matter how they respond.
Insanity. Isn’t that sort of lifestyle simply asking for trouble? For persecution? For abuse?
Yes. It is. Or, it would be, if Jesus weren’t God Himself who rights all wrongs and always keeps His promises.
Now that doesn’t mean we aren’t to defend ourselves when our safety or the safety of our family is threatened. That’s a different issue. But in those moments where people insult you, do you have to insult them back? At the times when people take advantage of you, do you have to get them back? Or when they lie to you or spread rumors about you or steal from you—what would Jesus tell us to do? How would Jesus tell us to respond?
That’s not a trick question. If you know Jesus, you have His Holy Spirit in your heart, so you can ask Him directly.
Don’t worry about what you might lose. Don’t be afraid of what might be taken away from you. All that you have came from God anyway. Instead, think about what you might gain if you choose mercy over payback.
Jesus was mistreated and betrayed and abandoned and insulted. He never responded in kind; He always responded with kindness.
Questions for Reflection
Why are we so afraid to lose the things we have earned or been given in this life?
How do you think people would perceive you if you didn’t react with anger or hurtful words in retaliation?
What would it mean for you to truly believe that Jesus is more than God—that He is the Sovereign Lord of your entire life?
Weekly Memory Verse
