Be Passionate
As we read the Gospels, we repeatedly see Jesus confronted with demanding situations involving serious illness, death, demonic activity, peril of various kinds, unbelief among his followers and criticism, contempt and hatred from His enemies. Typically, these provoked passionate responses from Him. Those who paint Jesus as placid and unperturbable present a caricature.
Not only was Jesus known to express intense emotion and act out of strong feeling, His stories were vivid and gripping. Here are a few quotations to illustrate.
- In Matthew’s account of the unforgiving servant we read of him as "he laid hands on him [his fellow-servant] and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!'" Matthew 18:28
- In Luke 12:20, Jesus records God’s response to a man who’s focus was material rather than spiritual. "But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'"
- To His disciples, Jesus once said: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.” Matthew 10:16
Jesus didn’t just speak in a way that showed his passionate soul, he acted with vigour and intensity whether with dramatic flare or understatement. Here’s an example from Matthew’s gospel: “Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.” Matthew 21:18-19
Just before the crucifixion, he explained to his disciples: "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer." Luke 22:15 This is variously rendered: I have fervently, or earnestly, or eagerly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer. Whatever word is used, it communicates passion–great intensity of feeling.
Many Christians, perhaps in an attempt to avoid extremism at one end of the spectrum have ended up at the extreme opposite end of the continuum. They moderate, suppress and cloak strong emotion to a degree which leads their fellows to assume they feel nothing about anything. This can infect a local church to the degree that any who do have an intense emotional response to spiritual insight and use vivid language to express that response are left wondering if they have done something wrong.
As we seek to follow Jesus, let us not practice the virtues of self-control and moderation to the degree that we miss His clear example. Jesus understood what was at stake for those who were in spiritual danger and reacted passionately. This was not merely a device to get attention, like a preacher who pounds the pulpit or a teacher who slams a door. His strong words and dramatic actions expressed the exercise of His spirit to the spiritual realities which often He alone could see. Now, as His followers, bearers of His likeness and the home of His Spirit, let us strive to display the same intensity He did, as we learn to see the world as He did.
