As we aim to emulate Jesus, we should pay attention to how He made decisions. Above all, believe His own testimony. He told us how He makes decisions: He watches and listens to the Father (John 5:19, 8:28). God is good at surprises, so there’s no substitute for just listening to His voice. That said, there are also some patterns worth noticing in the gospels:
“A bruised reed He will not break.” Jesus doesn’t pile onto somebody who knows they’re broken. Based on what we know about Zacchaeus’ life, Jesus could have blistered his ears. But he was already ashamed, and Jesus just invited Himself to his house. The woman taken in adultery deserved to die, but Jesus only spoke to her sin after He’d driven her accusers away.
“Woe to you!” Every time Jesus really goes off on somebody, it’s someone who’s proud of their sin, or proud of their righteousness, or both. He embarrasses Simon the Pharisee at his own dinner party.
”Unless you repent you will all likewise perish” Jesus does at times talk about the sins of public figures/authorities even when they’re not around, but the overwhelming pattern is that He speaks to the sins of the people who are in front of Him. You don’t see Him sounding off about other people’s sins in order to pander to a base.
”Mint and anise and cumin.” When Jesus has you in the sights, there’s not much that’s off limits. Jesus makes fun of their long faces and their long prayers and their clothes and their big phylacteries. He impugns their motives and insults their giving habits. He shows up the absurdity of the way they do “right” by the ceremonial requirements while evicting widows, and He’s not afraid to be memorable doing it.
We tend to be afraid to offend people, lest we turn them off to the gospel. There are two reasons we shouldn’t be like that. First, Jesus and His early followers manifestly were not that way. It’s counterintuitive to your average evanjellyfish pastor, but strong stands for the truth actually work. Second, when we’re seeking the common good in society, we’re going to need to tell some hard truths. People will be offended, and it’s ok that they are – first they’re supposed to be offended, then they’re supposed to repent. That’s what the strong statement is for.
When they tell you, “You’re not Jesus!” you come right back with, “Right–but I’m supposed to be!” Don’t let them talk you into being less like Jesus than you are already.
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