Christ's Response to Verbal Abuse and Slander

The Gospel of John is a treatise on Christology. JohnHim to come unto Him.
emphasizes several essential doctrines of theWhile we know that Christ was, and is, fully human
Christian faith less obvious in the Synoptic Gospels:as well as fully divine, I can't help but wonder if the
the deity of Christ; the preexistence, the Wordrejection and attacks hurt His feelings in the same
made incarnate. One additional feature prominent inway we would experience emotional pain. The reason
John's Gospel that stands out to me is the patiencethis gives me pause is that, usually, when our feelings
and perseverance of our Lord under unrelentingare hurt, it is a personal slight - not God's honor and
verbal attacks and criticism.glory - that has been wounded. The only time we
While the reader needs to be extremely careful notsee Jesus getting angry in the Gospels is when His
to read his/her own agenda into any biblical text, oneFather's honor has been compromised. The personal
can easily read between the lines into the characterattacks seem to roll of His shoulders, and He is
of Christ and thus what He expects from Hisconsistently willing, ready and able to overlook the
followers. Each time I read John, from the challengeoffense and forgive. His continual call to repentance is
to His authority issued in chapter 3 to the mocking ofjust that - an invitation to lavish grace and
the Roman soldiers at the crucifixion, I am struckundeserved forgiveness.
anew at how much unmitigated hatred and slanderWhat does this have to do with nouthetic counseling?
Jesus endured... all the while still extending the offerAlmost every issue for which a person seeks godly
to His tormentors: "Come to Me."counsel is a result of sin - either one's own, or the
Yesterday, while discussing the lingering effects ofeffects of another's sin upon the counselee. Many
abuse with a counselee, I was able to pull together ahave (accurately) noted that the scars of emotional
few biblical insights we have on how to bear upabuse go much deeper than those of physical
under unjust suffering and slander. To answer theabuse...long after the bruises are healed, hateful
question of how a victim's heart is to respond, 1words and false accusations still ring in our ears. It is
Peter 2:13-4:19 is an excellent passage. The Bible isnot helpful to pretend that this is not the case, but
filled with additional exhortations on how a Christian isnor do attempts to re-write the past (inner healing;
to respond to attacks either from an enemy orvisualization) help the victim. Furthermore, seeing
fellow believer, and it is unnecessary to enumerateone's self as a "victim" can cause compounded sin -
them all here. What I wanted the woman to see,self-pity and sinful reactions. What I have found,
however, is how Jesus is able to empathize and havealong with many others, is that returning to the plain
compassion on victims of all kinds of abuse - includingtext of the Bible reveals a Savior Who truly knows
verbal - because He continually took it on the chinwhat it is to suffer even this maddening type of
during His earthly ministry.abuse. His patient, principled and loving response
"Jesus, Did You Hear What They Said About You?!?"(forgiveness; a desire for reconciliation) provides us,
The next time you read through John, pay specialHis disciples, with the only God-honoring response
attention to the reaction of the Jewish establishmentthere is to abuse and slander.
and their cronies from chapter 5 (following the healingDouglas Bookman writes, "...our besetting temptation
at the Bethesda pool) right up until the Triumphalis to glorify self: to live life as if we were the center
Entry in chapter 12. Long before we get to Calvary,of the universe,as if the enhancement of our
Jesus bore the hateful attacks, sneers, andreputation were a meritorious pursuit, and as if our
unfounded criticism of the religious establishment.contentment were the greatest good of the cosmos.
Literally no good deed was left unpunished, andThat is why every believer must continually be
Scripture records at least two other attempts on Hisconfronted with the demand that God be honored as
life (by stoning; for alleged blasphemy). On the heelsGod." (Emphasis mine; "Counseling: How to Counsel
of one such attack, Jesus heals a blind beggar -Biblically", p. 56). Do you see the irony here? Jesus,
unasked - on His way out of town. The man isWho was God in the flesh, did not seek to enhance
subsequently excommunicated from the SynagogueHis own reputation - although He was due ALL honor
for bearing witness to Christ, and Jesus then goesand glory alone. Yet we are preoccupied with seeking
out of His way to find him.our own glory, and this is the underlying reason
Think on THAT the next time you're tempted tounmerited criticism hurts us so much. It all goes back
slide into self-pity!to pride, a sin which (obviously) never marred Christ's
Chapters 7 and 8 of John primarily compose onecharacter.
verbal barrage after another against the One WhoJesus Himself warned us that we are to expect to
came to save them. Each time I read the account,be torn down:
my jaw drops at the amount of hostility Jesus put"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as
up with... including a barely-veiled jibe implying that Heits own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but
was illegitimate (John 8:41b). And how does HeI have chosen you out of the world. That is why the
respond? Righteously, by calling out the sin andworld hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke
hypocrisy of His critics - but also graciously, by callingto you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If
them to repentance. Right up until Wednesday ofthey persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If
Passion Week, two days before His humiliatingthey obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
execution, we see Jesus in the temple courts -21 They will treat you this way because of my
preaching, persuading, imploring those who despisedname, for they do not know the One who sent me.