Don’t Embarrass Jesus
Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. John 18:19
If Jesus ‘can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities,’ can He be embarrassed by our actions and attitudes? (Hebrews 4:15.) How embarrassing when Mary and Joseph interrupted Him as a twelve-year-old boy, sitting in the temple confounding its best scholars. They took Him away, saying, ‘We thought we’d lost you. You had us worried to death’ (Luke 2:48). How embarrassing to stand up in your home church and announce that you’re the Messiah, then have people you grew up with march you out of town and try to throw you off a cliff (Luke 4:29). How embarrassing when He told Jairus that his dead daughter was merely sleeping and those in the house ‘laughed him to scorn’ (Matthew 9:24). Now think about this. When the high priest asked Jesus about His doctrine, He replied, ‘Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me…’ (John 18:21). Whereupon one of the officers standing next to Jesus slapped Him in the face. How embarrassing! But the supreme embarrassment in the life of Jesus may well have been when the high priest asked Him not about His doctrine, but about His disciples. Where were they? Peter denied Him, and the rest ran for cover. What could He say? So here’s the question: Are your character, your conduct and your commitment to Christ a source of joy to Him, or an embarrassment? Gandhi said, ‘If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, all of India would be Christian today.’ When it comes to doctrine, you may stand tall. But when it comes to discipleship, where do you stand?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help my life to reflect what You have taught in Your Word that we should do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen