Lash out? or be patient?

 

                    The Patience of Jesus: going the extra mile

Meg swept the floor and scrubbed it until the bronze and white patina glistened in the sunlight, before stepping back to admire the sparkling mosaic of the tiles. The clean floor filled her with pride and appreciation for this gorgeous feature of her home.

Bang! The door flung open and hubby strode past her, leaving behind the corrugated imprint of his muddy boots and sticky grass cuttings across the floor. Her jaw dropped as she stared after him.

 “Do you mind? I’ve just washed the floor!”

 But he’d already grabbed his spanner from the garage, and with a furrowed brow, stomped another trail of mud and clippings in his path before disappearing outside.

 “Jerry!”

 “Huh? The mower’s broken down. I’ve got more important things to deal with than mud on the floor. Get your priorities straight, Meg.”

 She shook her head and started again!

 Relationships require patience. We often explode when someone dismisses our efforts or words. Teachers need patience in spades, as do marriage partners, parents, and community leaders, because without it, conflict rears its ugly head.

 How do we deal with our impatient responses? Though we could be annoyed, would yelling solve the issue?

 Jesus was patient. Although he experienced frustration, he controlled it, turning situations into valuable teaching opportunities for his disciples, and several of his memorable sayings are recorded in the Gospels.  

  “If someone forces you to go a mile, go two miles with them.” Matthew 5:41.

That’s patience in action!

 “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:44.

If we’ve been wronged, finding a reason to love them will increase our patience and soften the impact. We may even forgive them!

 “Store up treasures in heaven where moth and dust do not destroy.” Matthew 6:20.

  We may have served Jesus with few results, but heavenly rewards are worth the wait because they are eternal. Through sacrificial love and patience, we become like Jesus.

 But was Jesus genuine? Did his real-life experiences with his closest companions support his words?

 A crowd of four thousand gathered to listen to Jesus in a remote district beside the Galilee Sea, and they were hungry, since they had run out of supplies after three days of ministry. (Mark 8.) If he had sent them home, they would have collapsed on the journey. He turned to his disciples.

 “How many loaves do you have?”

  “Seven and some fish.”

After the crowd sat on the ground, Jesus broke the bread and thanked his heavenly Father. The disciples distributed the food. Once everyone was satisfied, the disciples gathered seven basketfuls of broken pieces, a miracle indeed.

After the crowds left, Jesus sailed to Dalmanutha, where the Pharisees asked him for a heavenly sign. Jesus could have launched into a tirade about their unbelief because they intended to test and entrap him. He would not use his God-given power as a show act when their hearts were hard. It was reserved for the glory of his Heavenly Father. If his miracles weren’t sufficient to convince them he was the Messiah, another sign wouldn’t alter their opinion.

 He continued his journey by boat, thinking about their scepticism before warning the disciples.

 “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.”

 But the disciples missed his point entirely. They whispered among themselves.

 “We’ve exhausted our supply of bread.”

 “Why are you discussing bread? Don’t you understand, or are you deaf to what I’ve been showing you? When I broke the bread for five thousand, how many basketfuls did you collect?”

“Twelve.”
“And when I fed the four thousand, how many baskets were there?”
“Seven.”

“Do you still not understand?” I can almost hear disappointment in his tone.

 They had witnessed God’s power, a magnificent testimony to his deity, while Jesus stayed humble among them. The Pharisees prided themselves on the law and ritual, but they cared little for true repentance or for the Son of God. Both groups failed to recognize who Jesus was, and yet, despite his disappointment and frustration, Jesus didn’t lash out. He persisted in his miracles. As they arrived in Bethsaida, he healed a blind man, a human example of their spiritual blindness. Perhaps it was this incident that opened Peter’s eyes to Jesus’ identity. When Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was, this was Peter’s response.

 “You are the Messiah.”

Peter learned many more lessons from the Messiah. With great patience and love, Jesus taught him how to be a devoted apostle.

 Have you turned a blind eye to Jesus, or let your confusion about Christianity discredit him?

 Has guilt made you believe he’d never forgive you?

Love and patience led Jesus to Calvary’s cross. He was silent at his trial, enduring shame and sorrow because he could wait until his suffering was over. While he secured repentance for millions, he knew heaven was his destination. He promised to rise again, a promise he kept. 

He is patient with us while he calls everyone to seek forgiveness through his sacrifice. We are slow to understand and slow to obey. He keeps knocking.

 True to his word and example, Jesus affirmed the value of patience. He bought us, taught us, and now guides us, even when we’ve turned our backs on him.

Is Jesus your hero, your best friend? Before you lash out at someone, pray the Holy Spirit will remind you of Jesus. Let’s be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Like Peter, Jesus empowers and trains us to become faithful disciples.

  Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2.