Jesus did not retaliate.
I was going to be five minutes late for an appointment in the city, and frazzled as I drove there. The person I was to meet would be angry with me. She would ridicule me for not planning well, for being irresponsible. As I rushed into the city, my thoughts were so angry and negative — at myself for being late and at the person whom I knew would chew me out shortly.The scene that came into my mind as I drove was that of Jesus dining at the home of Simon the Leper surrounded by religious leaders and disciples. (Mark 14)A woman walked throughout the dinner guests, came to Jesus and knelt down at his feet. She broke an expensive alabaster jar, anointed Jesus’s feet with precious oil, and wiped them with her hair. The guests AND Jesus’ disciples blasted her for this irresponsible act. “Why this waste of perfume?” they rebuked her harshly.Imagine how she felt? I would have been very angry or deeply crushed. Criticism, whether given in private quietly, or in public as this was, hurts!Notice what happens: Jesus surely could have stopped this “wasteful”, foolish act, simply telling the woman “no.” But he didn’t. And Jesus became the target of their harsh criticism, albeit indirectly. When the guests were criticizing the woman, by implication they were also criticizing Jesus.But Jesus did not flinch in the face of their anger. He knew what was behind the action, and didn’t see the waste or the irresponsibility in her act. He made no negative assumptions about her motives, but viewed the scene completely differently from the others. He regarded what she did in the light of eternity. In her pouring out the nard, she was preparing him for his burial. [At that moment no one knew (except the Lord) that he would be dead three days later.]Jesus spoke up. “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing.” At that response, the guests became quiet, but their critical attitude prevailed.This act was the lynch pin for Judas’ motivation to betray Jesus to the priests. The traitor couldn’t stand such “irresponsibility” on the part of his leader. His frustration with Jesus was pushed to the point of no return, and he went to the high priests to sell out the Messiah.And how did Jesus respond? Peter wrote in his Epistle (1 P 2:23) that Jesus did not retaliate. The Lord did not hurl insults at his criticizers. He just kept trusting the Heavenly Father, the God who judges all things justly. Because he entrusted all the criticism and negative comments to his Father, Jesus stayed at peace throughout. He maintained his peace even when he knew that the negative opinion would pave the way to his crucifixion.Would that I could handle the criticisms and judgments thrown at me by others in this same spirit as my Lord. When criticized, can you trust yourself to the God who judges justly? Can you let God take control when you suffer from the negative comments of your “enemy?” Can you stay in peace even when hit with insults? Let us pray for each other that this will be so.
