I hate injustice. If I am guilty of it, I can beat myself up pretty badly. If I witness it, I feel like putting up the dukes. If I am victimized by it, I rage inside.
So, as I read today about Jesus' suffering of injustice during His trial, I was struck by His reaction to it. Silence. As a lamb led to slaughter. Ellen White writes really well of His dignity, His regal demeanor, His compassion for His abusers. His reaction to the abuse meted on Him--greater than any abuse any other individual has ever endured--is a such a rebuke.
But don't downplay His reaction to the abuse meted out on others. He busted out a whip once and laid the smack down on some unscrupulous guys in the temple once. He sent demons packing all over the place. He embarrassed Pharisees and religious types when they tried to trap Him, argue with Him, or when they used other people as pawns in their hateful agenda.
It seems that He acted when others faced injustice and oppression. But He took it when He was challenged to compromised. You see, He had to face this as a human being. If He were to ever expect you and I to stand up for our faith, He had to set the example.
That's tough. I can't say that I'd show the same qualities if it were me. This is one of those ways in which Jesus is going to have to do some work on me! I get offended too easily. I am too sensitive. I want to go and hide or run into a fight when someone's unfairly treating me.
I think the difference is ego, quite frankly. If I take myself too seriously, I am more likely to fight back. If it's about me, I focus on my hurt feelings. But if it's really about Jesus, I keep my eyes focused on Him, stick with principal, and don't worry about what happens to me.
Ego is not worth compromising Jesus over. Here is a man who came to be my neighbor. His ego meant nothing to Him, considering how much He gave up to move into the human neighborhood. My ego has to become less. Until then, He'll never become more.
How can you take yourself less seriously, so that when you are challenged to compromise faith or face pain or loss, you'll stand with Jesus?
What strengthens your faith the most, so that you know that standing for Jesus is an honor worth any abuse?
