All day, every day, we react to situations. Most of the time, we react in ways acceptable to those around us. If someone cuts us off on the road, we may blow our horn. That is acceptable to most drivers. They agree because they have done the same thing. If our children are mistreated by another child, we call the parents and give them a piece of our mind. Again, for most parents, this is acceptable because that’s how they would react. If there is someone who smells bad and needs money, we walk on the other side of the street. These situations and many others like them happen to us, and we react without thinking. Yet, as Christians, we are to be like Jesus. The word Christian means “little Christ.” So, how are we to react? How did Jesus handle situations where there was conflict or a chance of being misunderstood?
In Luke 19:1–10, we find a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector. He and other tax collectors were hated by most people. He grew wealthy by extorting his own people. If you owed 10 dollars, he would extract more and keep the extra for himself. He collaborated with the Roman government, leaving taxpayers no choice but to pay what he asked. His own people hated him; therefore, he faced rejection and anger, and they expected repentance before they would have any fellowship with him.
When Jesus walked into Jericho, the crowd was so large that Zacchaeus could not see Jesus. Because of his occupation, no one was going to make room for this short man to get to Jesus, so he climbed up in a Sycamore tree so that he could see Jesus. Did Jesus follow the lead of the crowd? In Luke 19:5 we see Jesus’ reaction to him. He stopped, looked up, and said,“Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.”
Where the crowd saw a traitor deserving of contempt, Jesus saw a soul seeking grace. Our typical human reaction to would have been to distance ourselves and condemn him. However, Jesus teaches us to draw closer and build a relationship. He did not wait for Zacchaeus to clean up his life or fix his reputation before reaching out. Jesus invited himself to his home and offered honor to a man who had earned none!
Jesus offered love and grace instead of judgment. Zacchaeus responded by voluntarily giving away half his possessions and offering fourfold restitution to anyone he had cheated.
Another unlikely reaction by Jesus was when He left Judea to go to Galilee. John 4:2-41 gives us the account of Jesus going through Samaria. He sent the disciples into town to buy food for lunch, and he sat at the well. It was the middle of the day, and normally no one would come out in the heat of the day. However, Jesus knew this particular woman would be coming. She was a social outcast because of her immorality. Jesus asks her for a drink, and this begins the conversation. He asks her to go and get her husband. She tells Him she has no husband. In John 4:17-18, Jesus responds, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband, for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” After offering her the “living water,” which she accepts, she is so excited she goes to tell others and bring them to Jesus. She found someone who loved her enough to forgive her and offer her eternal life. Jesus did not offer scorn or treat her as if He were better than her. He offered forgiveness, genuine love, and eternal life.
Both of these accounts teach us how we are supposed to respond to those whom society counts as unworthy and beneath them. We live in a culture conditioned to react with indignation and self-righteous attitudes, and we distance ourselves when people fail or offend us. But following Jesus means adopting a position that defies human logic.
Jesus teaches us to respond with patience when we are attacked or criticized. Our natural human response is self-defense. He drew near to the outcast. When society labels people as unredeemable, Jesus moves in with compassion. He extends unearned grace, mercy, and love. The truth is, we are all in the same boat of life until Jesus finds us. We do not deserve His mercy, grace, or love. We deserve Hell, but He extends Heaven to all who will receive Him as their Lord and Savior, repent of their sins, and live in obedience to Him. At the foot of the cross, it is level ground. We are all sinners, and God sees all sin the same. Neither a self-righteous attitude nor a pride-filled life will be acceptable when we stand before God. How we react to Jesus will show in how we react to others. It is time all who name the name of Christian react like Jesus.
