Your Response
Have you ever been in a situation where you were excited about something and went to share your excitement with a friend only to get a response that completely burst your bubble? Well, I have! Our dear friend Philip in John 1:43-46 experienced this very same thing too:John 1:45-46, KJV:45 “Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.”
What better news can someone share than Jesus’ presence! But unfortunately, Philip’s good news was met with scepticism and sarcasm. Nathanael probably had his reasons to be sceptical and to respond the way he did. Past disappointments and promises of the coming Messiah that never seemed to make it into reality may have resulted in a loss of hope in the supposed coming Messiah. Furthermore, Nazareth was a really small city. It wasn’t a city where people aspired to live, and it certainly wasn’t a city that people expected the Messiah to come from! But as we know, God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong’ 1 Corinthians 1:27, ESV.
But let’s focus on Philip’s response to the scepticism and lack of enthusiasm observed in Nathanael’s comment. His response was short and simple; ‘come and see’. It certainly was the most mature way to respond to Nathanael. Nathanael did not appear to be optimistic about this news. But Philip believed and understood the depth of the information he was sharing with Nathanael. He knew that once Nathanael saw Jesus with his own eyes, he would believe for himself. Nathanael’s negative and unenthusiastic response did not discourage Philip from holding on to the good news he came to share and his desire for Nathanael to experience it too. When people refuse to embrace what you share, rather than getting into a debate and arguing, keep your response simple and let them see what you are talking about for themselves so they can make their judgement.
So the question for you today is how do you respond when your excitement is met with sarcasm and scepticism? Do you sulk, argue, or get mad and promise to never share anything with those people again, or, like Philip, do you respond with grace and give people a second chance to take the news you share seriously by giving them the extra they need to see what you see.
Responding gracefully is key to your walk here on earth. There will always be people at work, in family, friends, acquaintances and church folks who will not respond the way you hoped when you share good news. Too many times, we allow the reactions of others to influence our response, even when we share the message of the gospel. Unfortunately, when our response is based on a ‘less than enthusiastic’ reaction we tend to shut down, doubt what we believe and be harsh. Hasty, emotional responses cause so much damage despite the fact that your intentions were good. We can learn from Philip and respond gracefully. Let’s take a look at the fruits listed in Galatians 5:22-23, NIV22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
I highlighted kindness, gentleness and self-control so we can take a look at some definitions according to Webster’s 1828 dictionary:
Kindness is defined as ‘that temper or disposition which delights in contributing to the happiness of others, which is exercised cheerfully in gratifying their wishes, supplying their wants or alleviating their distresses’. We all need kindness in our responses. There is no need to meet sarcasm with sarcasm. Kindness must rule your emotions.
Gentleness is defined as ‘softness of manners; mildness of temper; sweetness of disposition; meekness’. Avoid becoming upset when people can’t see what you see when you are excited or when they pull down your enthusiasm. Instead, respond gently and continue to hold on to your good news and remember ’a gentle tongue can break a bone’ (Proverbs 25:15, ESV).
Self-control is defined as ‘restraint exercised over one’s own impulses, emotions, or desires’. Demonstrate self-control by not allowing negative responses to bring down your mood and respond with anger to the one who responded negatively. A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls (Proverbs 25:28, ESV).
More importantly, Philip’s response of kindness, gentleness and self-control resulted in Nathanael’s salvation and him being selected as one of the twelve disciples. One mature response saved a soul and allowed God to use that very soul! Nathanael followed Philip to meet Jesus for himself and ended up with Philip’s excitement, referring to Jesus as ‘The Son Of God!’.
By responding with kindness, gentleness, and self-control when others respond to you with sarcasm, you may win a soul to the Kingdom of God. Responses ruled by our emotions rarely bring any good! We must ‘walk in the Spirit that we may not fulfil the lusts of the flesh’ (Galatians 5:16-17, ESV).
Watch how you respond. Your response can change lives for the Kingdom of God if you let it.
Photo credit: ©istockphoto/PPAMPicture
