MG Jesus wasn’t afraid to stand up and publicly denounce false believers. Why don’t you do the same?
Ed Jesus’ preaching was always constructive, not destructive: ‘The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost’ (Luke 19:10). His approach was gentle—it was written of him, ‘a bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not quench’ (Matthew 12:20).
However, there were two perfectly complementary aspects to his character —kindness and severity, grace and truth. The same two aspects that we see in God’s character. ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth’ (John 1:14). He was gracious and non-judgemental to those who came to God with open hearts, but he would not tolerate corruption and hypocrisy, and he consistently called it out.
In this, as in all matters, he provides the example his disciples should follow.
In the Gospel records we see frequent clashes between the Lord and the self-righteous religious leaders of his day (for example Mark 3:5, Matthew 15:7–8, Luke 11:42–52). There were two occasions on which he forcibly ejected the marketeers from the temple in Jerusalem (John 2:15, Matthew 21:12–13).
The time came, in the last week of his ministry, when the clashes became suddenly more intense. His enemies collaborated in a campaign against him in which they tried to trip him up with his words. When they’d finally admitted defeat, he launched a blistering public attack on them (Matthew 23). There are probably two reasons for this extraordinary vehemence—first, there were some important home truths that the leaders themselves, and also Christ’s disciples, needed to know about the perils of their toxic attitude, and which needed to be spelled out publicly and forcefully. Second, he knew that he must be crucified at the approaching Passover (Matthew 26:2), and he was calculatedly provoking his enemies to arrange it (Luke 19:47).
So should his followers be firebrands, publicly railing at their opponents?
Jesus was perfect and sinless—he thought his Father’s thoughts and spoke His words (John 8:38). Even in the heat of his final verbal onslaught, he was saying what was precisely right and no one could answer him. Which of us can have such confidence? We do well to heed the Bible’s instructions:
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:19–20).
The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 2:24–25).