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Be Appropriate

An ancient preacher wrote a treatise on times and seasons.  It is a timeless piece and has been quoted and reworked endlessly, in speeches, sermons and songs.  Its thesis is that there is a time for everything.  What matters is that things happen at the appropriate time.  Some of the references are obvious, some subtle, some a little puzzling.  We all know that at any given moment we have to figure out if this is the right time to say what’s on our minds or to keep quiet, to follow our hearts or to do what makes sense, to take a risk or to play it safe.  This is the stuff of life.

When we look at Jesus, we discover One who always got it right.  He didn’t have just one relational style, for example.  In dealing with individuals and situations, He was always appropriate.  He could adjust to the person, the person’s need and the circumstances of the moment all at the same time and never slip.  Let me suggest a few examples of this wonderful ability.

In confronting the Pharisees - His self-declared enemies and the ones who successfully engineered His crucifixion - He was direct and intense.  Here’s a snippet from Matthew 23:  “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.  Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.” (13-15)

In dealing with the individual known famously as “the woman at the well,” Jesus was direct, but much more gentle.  Here we find the natural give and take of conversation.  He responded to her questions and drew her deeper into the interaction with questions of His own.  He engaged her in a way that was respectful yet pointed.  Read the whole account in John 4.

On a couple of occasions in public places Jesus was downright dramatic, using what parents these days might call His “outside voice” with actions to match.  He had an important point to make and made it in an unforgettable way.  Matthew 21 and John 13 both show Jesus in highly charged situations drawing attention to himself in ways that would stay with those present for a very long time.

Yet, at His trial, Jesus was subtle and understated.  His accusers and even His judges did their best to goad Him into saying or doing things that would have incriminated Him in their eyes, or at least let them know that He recognized their power over Him.  Look at John 18 in particular to see how He frustrated their efforts with His silence.

In these examples we see the richness of Jesus personality and His social sensitivity.  He wasn’t locked into one way of dealing with any and all situations.  As we seek to be like Jesus, we’ll find ourselves in a variety of circumstances each one of which will call for an appropriate response.  You can either retreat into your "preferred style" or be like Jesus - responding appropriately to each person and his or her need and each situation as called for.