For most people, even those who may not have read the Gospels, Jesus is a seen as loving and kind. And with good reason. The Gospels tell us that Jesus healed all kinds of people of all kinds of diseases and illnesses. He healed the deaf. The mute. The lame. The paralyzed. He cast demons out of people. He blessed babies and small children. He had compassion for hungry people and fed them when they were without food. He extended forgiveness to a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. He healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever. He brought Jairus’ 12-year-old daughter back to life. And also the widow of Nain’s son. Of course, there was the resurrection of His friend Lazarus. So there is ample evidence to prove that Jesus was compassionate, loving and kind.
But perhaps the most perplexing thing for some people are Jesus’ comments to the religious leaders of His day. Time after time we see that Jesus had some very harsh things to say to them. In Matthew 23 we have what has become known as The Seven Woes. In this section Jesus goes off on the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. He repeatedly calls them hypocrites. He also refers to them as snakes and vipers. As whitewashed tombs. And blind guides. And there are other occasions where Jesus thoroughly denounced His critics in a similar scathing fashion. This has caused some people to view Jesus as being rather mean. Abrupt. Spiteful. Someone who is quick to condemn. Someone who is very intolerant of others. As a result of this some people are afraid of Jesus. They see Him as being someone who is hard to get to know. Someone who is rather difficult to love. But is this really the case?
The thing to keep in mind is that Jesus never scolded or was rude to an earnest seeker. The woman caught in adultery? He didn’t condemn her. The rich, young man who came to Jesus wanting to know how he could obtain eternal life? The Scripture tells us that Jesus looked at him with love. Peter, who began to slip beneath the waves when his faith faltered? Jesus immediately stretched out His hand to rescue him. Time after time Jesus was patient, kind, forgiving, merciful and compassionate with people. The only people He ever responded harshly to were those of the religious establishment who actively opposed Him. People who claimed to be righteous but who were far from it. People who made a public pretense of being spiritual who were anything but.
So, is Jesus mean? It depends. Not when we approach Him in humility. Not when we come to Him in repentance. Not when we come to Him for forgiveness. Or mercy. Not when we are earnestly seeking to know and understand Him. When we approach Jesus like this we find out that He is patient with us. Gentle. Kind. Understanding. Loving. By the same token, we should never take Jesus as a pushover. As someone that we can deceive. Or control. Or use. If we approach Jesus like this then we can expect to experience His anger. His words will be sharp. Pointed. They will expose our hypocrisy. And wound us. Not out of revenge. But out of a desire to cause us to see ourselves for who we really are. And hopefully to repent.
In the final analysis, the Jesus that we see in Scripture is the kind of Jesus that we want to see. So what kind of Jesus are you seeing? I hope it's the loving, caring, compassionate Jesus. The Jesus who loved you enough to die on the cross for your sins.
Lord, I thank you that the Jesus I know is loving. Kind. Caring. Compassionate. Always ready to forgive. To strengthen. Comfort. Encourage. I pray for those who struggle with their perception of Jesus that they would see that He is a wonderful Savior. A Gentle Shepherd. A forever Friend. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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