When Jesus walked the earth, he was about people. He was about relationship. He was about physical touch. He was about healing and restoration. He would never shout a message and then cower behind a rock. He spoke with wisdom and grace bringing truth in love. He did it perfectly.
Even if social media was thing back then, I doubt he’d participate. His ways are so far beyond and better than ours. Sure, it is the way of the world these days but Jesus was never one to walk in the way of the world. He did it his way. The right way. The only way.
He wanted followers but not the way we do. He didn’t really care if people “liked” what he had to say because it wasn’t a popularity contest to him. Love him or hate him, follow him or not, he was and still is Lord. And his message has never changed.
The people who didn’t like or agree with the message Jesus brought hated him. And they wanted an apology. The Pharisees and Sadducees harassed and pressed him to change what he was saying. He was offensive for sure! He said everything they didn’t want to hear.
They wanted Jesus to align his words with their truth. But he never compromised. He never catered to “you hurt my feelings Jesus.” And ya know what? He lost friends. He lost followers. He lost people and family who were near and dear. But he never wavered. All the way to cross, he never changed. In fact, if he walked the earth today, the very people who say they are Christians would be the ones hammering him to the cross because his message hasn’t changed.
Jesus should be our reflection. He did everything right. If people didn’t like what he had to say, he’d move on. He never changed the truth or told them off, he just kept going. He spoke truth and it hurt. It cut deep and hit places people didn’t want to recognize. He never held back. But he did it with grace. And even then, after a perfectly delivered message, they still rejected and hated him.
If the very existence or presence of the perfect and holy Christ couldn’t change people, why do we think out sarcastic zing of a post will? We have to check our motives because it often becomes more about us than him. It becomes more about “likes” from the like-minded instead of reaching the lost, and they are lost. It becomes more about our anger and frustration than what is right. And let’s face it, none of us have righteous anger.
We have to ask ourselves, what is it we trying to accomplish? An attack, and insult, a sarcastic retort in the name of Jesus. Does that make it okay? He doesn’t need our help, in fact, we are probably doing more eternal harm. We definitely aren’t winning over souls.
People without Christ behave like people without Christ. How are we behaving? I think we often end up looking more like a lost world than image bearers of Christ.
As followers of Jesus, we cannot hide, deny, or alter the truth. We are required to live it, share it and model it. But there is a right way and a wrong way. Do we have the heart of Christ at the center of ever word we say or every post or comment we share? Life is in our hands. Proceed with caution.