Jump Start # 2028

Hebrews 2:14 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil.”

Sorry about no Jump Start yesterday. I was not feeling well. Much better today. And that leads us to our thoughts for today. Jesus partook of the same flesh and blood, just like the children. What all does that mean? It means there were probably days that Jesus didn’t feel real good. We have days like that. It means that there were days when He was busy. We have days like that. He probably had days when things didn’t go right. We have days like that. He had to deal with weather. We have days like that. He had to deal with people. We have days like that.

We can pull some specifics from the Scriptures.

Jesus was interrupted while teaching when Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery and demanded that he declare where He stood on punishing her.

Jesus was interrupted while teaching when Martha demanded that He tell Mary to help her serve

Jesus was interrupted while teaching when a man demanded that Jesus tell his brother to share the inheritance

There were times when things happened without any planning. Jesus and the disciples land on the shore and Jairus comes with a 911 plea. His daughter is dying.

The interruptions. The unplanned situations. Then there were the people who didn’t understand. Several got angry with Jesus. The synagogue official did, when Jesus healed the withered hand. Some got upset when Jesus healed the bent woman. They didn’t like Jesus doing those things on the Sabbath. Then there were the disciples, those closest to Him. They so often misunderstood. They argued more than once about which one was the greatest among them. Right before Jesus fed the five thousand, the apostles wanted to send the crowd away. They tried to keep the children from coming to Jesus. They tried to send the Canaanite woman away.

The interruptions. The unplanned situations. The misunderstandings. The name calling. The accusations.

There are a few things we learn from this:

First, Jesus never let people get the best of Him. He never sinned. He was disappointed in people. He was frustrated. He never let out a stream of obscenities. Let down, He never gave up on people. Jesus always remained focused, spiritual and determined. We can learn from that. Too often, we allow others to mess us up. We allow people to get under our skin. We lose our cool and have to try to make things right. Jesus wasn’t like that. He is the ultimate example. He shows us how to overcome disappointments and defeat in others. We stand in Martha’s shoes when we get upset with what others are doing. This is where road rage comes from. This is why some walk out of a marriage. This is why some leave a church. It’s not the concept. It’s not the principles. It’s how people are doing it. When upset with the way some drive, we don’t sell our cars and choose to walk. We keep driving. The principle of driving remains true, even though some don’t know how to do it.

According to the stats, the number one reason why people switch jobs is because of poor relationships with co-workers. The toxic, gossipy, mean spirited work environment gets to them and they leave. Sometimes that’s a good thing to do. It’s better to do that than to loose your sanity or your faith. Jesus was surrounded with toxic people. Every word was analyzed, criticized and challenged. The Pharisees on many occasions presented situations, and questions in order to “test” Jesus. They tried to trip Him up. They tried to catch Him. They tried to expose Him as a fraud. Jesus never walked away from the Pharisees.

Second, Jesus didn’t allow others to change what He knew was right. Jesus never apologized. He never apologized for healing on the Sabbath. He never promised to stop doing that so that everyone could get along. This wasn’t Sesame Street. This was real life. He didn’t compromise. He was right and He stood His ground. He was not going to allow their narrow and petty arguments to change what was right. Healing on the Sabbath was not work. The people were gathered and He continued to do it. Our culture today, makes us apologize for being right. It makes us find some middle ground of compromise. There are times when one cannot do that. Smoking the peace pipe works well in Western movies but not in dealing with matters of faith. Jesus wasn’t ugly about these things. He always explained and tried to get people to see. His confidence and assurance in what was right, allowed Him to hold his ground. This may be our issue. Maybe we are not so confident, or maybe we are intimidated by the loud voice of others. Volume doesn’t make one right. Jesus did not allow others to change what He knew was right.

Third, Jesus brought the best out of people. He did that by simply being Jesus. He didn’t go to their levels. You don’t find Jesus in a bar having drinks with others. He was pure. He was holy. He was Jesus. Like Him, or not, one knew where Jesus stood. When we carry ourselves that way, not being uppity, not being too good for others, not being self righteous, but by being ourselves, simply a Christian, a follower of Jesus, people will see and understand where you are coming from. You’ll find people apologizing for letting a bad word slip. You’ll find some who try to be on the best when around you. Some will not appreciate what you are doing. Some will test you. But many will appreciate you. They don’t have a spiritual back bone like you do. They admire you. They will come to you for advice. They will ask you to help them find a verse in the Bible. Being with Jesus brings the best out of people.

To walk with Jesus is to learn how to get along with others. To walk with Jesus is to learn what matters most. To walk with Jesus shows us that He didn’t get into every one’s business. His focus was spiritual. His goal was the glory of God.

It makes you wonder, if Jesus were in your skin today, had your schedule you have today, have your job, you have today, how would He do things differently? It makes us wonder how many opportunities we walk right past, that Jesus would have seen. It makes us wonder how many times today Jesus would have paused and thanked the Lord for things we just take for granted. How would your day be different if Jesus were living it? Would He be a stressed as you are? Would He be as bothered as you are? Would He be as worried as you are?

Something to think about.

Roger