By: Debbie Kea
Intro: There is a misconception about Christ. Many think that He was all-compassionate and never passed judgment, but they will be surprised to read the truth about how Jesus responded to various people.
Jesus always acted out of love and truth. We know that, but Jesus always told people exactly what they needed to hear, not always what they wanted to hear. Jesus never played favorites, He did not care what position people held, or how much money they had. His responses were not based on how people would look at Him afterwards or to keep the multitudes listening.
Let’s look at some specific responses of Jesus to certain individuals:
- Luke 12:15– In this passage we find two brothers arguing over their inheritance. They want Jesus to decide for them—“who made me a judge over you?” Jesus didn’t come to solve people’s earthly problems. He came to save people from their sins. They were missing the point of His ministry.
- John 4–Woman at the well—“you’ve had 5 husbands and the one you live with is not your husband” Jesus knew the sins of the Samaritan woman. He was honest with her about them. He could have been like other Jews and ignored her or been prejudiced toward her, but instead He brought her Living Water.
- John 8:1-12–Woman caught in adultery—“go and sin no more”—The men who brought this sinful woman to Jesus for judgment were guilty of sin as well. Where was the man who had sinned with this adulterous woman? It seems the woman was surrounded by hypocrites—except for Jesus, who loved her soul and told her to repent.
- Matt 19:16-22–Rich young ruler—“sell all you have”—when this young man said he had always followed the law, no doubt he expected Jesus to say, “Good job! You’ve kept the law! See you in heaven,” but that’s not what Jesus said. The text says Jesus loved this man, but He could look into this man’s heart and see what he loved most—his riches. Jesus always sees and knows and therefore calls on us to give up our idols. Col 3:5
- Matt 23–Pharisees—“Woe unto you”—Jesus didn’t talk to everybody the same way, did He? No, because He did know the hearts of men, He dealt with them according to their true condition. The hypocritical and uncaring Pharisees received the condemnation of the Lord.
- John 11–Lazarus—“do you believe in the resurrection”—Mary and Martha expected Jesus to come and heal their sick brother. Instead He waited 4 days to come and raise Lazarus from the dead, thereby glorifying God and causing many to believe. Jesus had obviously taught Martha about the resurrection, and surely after seeing her brother raised, she had no doubt!
- Luke 8:2–Mary Magdalene—He cast out 7 demons from her–We do not see Jesus sit around sympathizing with Mary about her past. Instead we see her following Him as a faithful disciple, helping him out of her own substance, sitting at the foot of the cross, and finally being the first witness to His resurrection at the tomb. While horrible lies are told about Mary Magdalene and Jesus in worldly books, the scripture shows us how she loved the Lord out of gratitude and recognized His compassionate voice at the tomb.
- Mark 14:7–The Poor—“the poor you always will have with you”—Do you think anyone expected Jesus to respond this way? While there were times Jesus fed the hungry, He always emphasized the spiritual over the physical.
- Luke 11:28– Mary and brothers wanting to see Him in the crowd—“who is my mother and my brethren?” Mary and Jesus’ brothers had come a long way to see Him in Capernaum. Instead of Jesus making the crowd move to allow their entrance to the house where He was teaching, He chose that moment to teach a spiritual lesson for all. My mother and brethren are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.
- Matt 21:13–The moneychangers—“you have made my Father’s house a den of thieves”—Some may have expected Jesus to simply walk by the moneychangers and accept the way things were at the temple. But no, in His righteous wrath, He threw them out and reminded everyone where they were—in His Father’s house!
- Matt 15:24-28–The Canaanite woman—“I am sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”—Some may not understand that Jesus’ ministry was only to the Jewish nation; this woman understood that, but she wanted to be considered also and Jesus accommodated her for her faith.
- Luke 17:17-19–The ten lepers—“where are the other nine?” Jesus knew where the nine lepers were as He spoke to the one thankful man. He was making a point to us all. A gift of physical cleansing deserved a giant thank you! The gift of spiritual cleansing deserves from us an even greater thanks!
- John 19:26-27–Mary—“Behold thy son”—Jesus was at the point of HIs worst physical pain on the cross, having been smitten, scourged, and stabbed; His spiritual pain, bearing the sins of the world, were even worse. Yet Jesus looks down at His mother and remembers her, putting her into the hands of His best friend, John.
- Luke 22:31—“I have prayed for you”—Jesus knew Peter was about to deny Him, and yet what does He do? He prays for Peter. This is the unexpected and unselfish Savior we serve.
Jesus always said and did exactly what people needed; He spoke the truth in love, and He did what was best. We must follow in His steps.