Be Patient
We get a first clue about one aspect of Jesus in an Old Testament prophecy about Him, the coming Messiah. Isaiah described Him as someone who wouldn't break off a bruised plant stalk or snuff out a smoldering candle flame. In other words, He wouldn't write off people who were weak and struggling. (Isaiah 42:3)
We are so used to false promises (usually involving extravagant claims about goods or services) and inaccurate predictions (especially about which sports team will win this year) that these words about Jesus, written several hundred years before He arrived in the flesh, are startling. He did not disappoint, in any way.
His gentle patience, particularly with his disciples, is remarkable. Presumably, Jesus could have overwhelmed their human mental faculties and simply delivered insight about Himself and the purpose of His coming to earth directly and immediately. However, for reasons known only to Himself, he patiently, and repeatedly, taught them about who He was, why He was among them, what He would accomplish and their roll in spreading His message after He was gone.
Often they were slow to understand. In John 16, we read of them trying to figure out what Jesus meant by the expression “a little while” which He was using repeatedly, but in seemingly slightly different ways. Jesus patiently explained using the very clear word picture of the labour pain involved in a woman giving birth. This kind of explaining was necessary on several occasions, particularly when Jesus had been teaching in parables.
Jesus also showed his patience with his disciples in regard to their recurrent bickering over which of them should have the place of greatest prominence. This rose to the level where it was described as a dispute among them on a couple of occasions. In response to this, Jesus simply reinforced his teaching that in His kingdom, greatness is expressed in service to others.
Perhaps Jesus patience with Peter is the most poignant example. Peter vehemently insisted that he would never desert Jesus, even if all the others did. Knowing that Peter would, within hours, do exactly that, Jesus gave him fair warning that he would not keep his word. In response to that, Peter, in effect, told Jesus He didn’t know what He was talking about when he said “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" Jesus did not rebuke Peter or push him away either at this point or even after Peter’s failure had taken place. Instead He made a point of restoring him later.
Jesus also showed patience in other ways, with other people. I think of the long hours He put in healing, teaching and blessing. The disciples’ impatience, expressed in the words “send them away” contrasted sharply with Jesus’ patience, expressed in His invitation “come unto me.” In seeking to become like Jesus, we must follow His example of patience. This is hard for us since it requires us to put others ahead of ourselves. Only when we live under the control of His Spirit will we effectively express this virtue to others. In a world where people are often identified with numbers, treated as “cases” rather than persons and exploited for the benefit of others, the patience of Jesus expressed through those who want to be like Him will communicate powerfully.
