They saw the wonderful things he did...and were indignant...

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It seems to be a law of nature and human nature to look for the weakness in people rather than their strengths.

I remember listening to a tape by Dr. Howard Hendricks years ago, as he talked about how he worked with students in teaching them to do public speaking, specifically preaching. One of his techniques was to have class members evaluate each other, but with a caution as to how to go about it.

In Dr. Hendricks' humorous style, as my memory recalls his words, he said,

"Now listen: I want you to write down, not what these speakers are doing wrong, but what they are doing right. Any moron can pick out things they are doing wrong. What they need to know is what they are doing right!"

As I was reading in Matthew 21 this week in preparation for Palm Sunday, I ran across a passage that reminded me that we can become so focused on what we presume is a fault--but may not be--that we miss the big picture in a person's life or actions.

Shortly after Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he went to the Temple and turned over the tables of the money changers. Not a good way to "win friends and influence people" you would think!

However, the next passage after the incident says, Mat. 21:14 "And the blind and the lame came to Him in the Temple and he healed them." People were drawn to him--by dozens and hundreds and thousands.

Now you would think that healing people who are blind and lame would be a good thing, especially in the eyes of religious leaders whose profession of faith in God one would presume would be evidence that they are compassionate people.

But not so.

You see it turns out that in an act of fulfilling prophesy about the coming of the Messiah--though they didn't know it was a fulfillment of prophecy--some small children began to say to Jesus, "Hosanna to the Son of David!"

The name "Son of David" was a title for the Messiah who was to come. And of course Jesus was and is that Messiah. But the religious leaders, these very ones who had been waiting so long for the promised Messiah, couldn't see what was before their very eyes. They struggled to take "Yes!" for an answer.

So when Jesus was healing people, even when they saw those "wonderful things" with their own eyes, rather than see the good that was happening, they chose to focus on what they viewed as a violation of appropriate protocol: giving praise to Jesus as though he was truly the Messiah.

So they became indignant.

Ever been there? Not about the Messiah, but about a fellow human being?

They are doing good things in their lives, they are serving the Lord, serving humanity or some cause, but you think they don't seem to be as polished as they should be, or you don't like their spouse, or you don't like it that they are getting praised, when your opinion of them is that they are not much to write home about.

We can become so focused on what we perceive is a short-coming in a person's life that we miss the person they truly are; or we diminish in our minds the things they have accomplished. In short, we write them off.

We can become so hardened in our hearts toward people that even though we see the "wonderful things" they are doing, we become indignant.

Ever been on the receiving end of such treatment? If you have, let me encourage you with a question that the chief priests asked of Jesus in verse 23 of the same chapter:

"By what authority are You doing these things and who gave You this authority?"

I just loved it when I read that! Not because it was a great question. It wasn't. It was a question that demonstrated the hardness of heart of these leaders. No, their motivation and reason for asking was off base completely.

The reason I loved the question is because it reminded me of the answer!

By what authority are you doing what you are doing and who gave you that authority?

Almost certainly the authority that is the basis for what you are doing to serve the Lord--those things you are doing and being criticized for--is not found in your critics. It isn't your critics who authorized you to do good! It is God! And no critic or institution can remove the authority that God has given.

Get a life critics! It is God who gives this kind of authority, not human beings.

We need not worry about those who nit-pick and tear and complain and question about the "wonderful things" God does through his imperfect servants. The critics neither have the power to give authority nor to revoke it.

Sunday School teacher, Missionary, Pastor, Christian--whomever you may be--don't let the critics get you down! They didn't commission you in the first place. God did. So get on with things. The Lord knows, even if the religious establishment has its head screwed on backwards. Don't be afraid of them, and don't be discouraged.

If Jesus was questioned about the authority by which he acted when he was doing good, it is likely that we will be questioned and criticized too. Its a part of life.

And if you are one of those critics that focuses in on the things you perceive to be wrong (even though what you think is wrong may not be wrong at all), remember that any moron can point out what is wrong with something. What we need to do is focus on what is right with some one and encourage them.

Every day people are rejecting God, dying and going to hell. Our job is to share the love of God in Christ so people can avoid that terrible consequence. God wants people to know that he loves them and that he wants them to believe in His Son so they can be forgiven and spend eternity with the Lord.

Yes there are times when wrongs need to be pointed out in the lives of our fellow believers, but get over yourself and become an encourager, not a criticizer. You'll be amazed at what you'll see and how less self-righteously indignant you will become. You may also be amazed to see people blossom even more in the areas where they are doing well, and those areas that need adjusting will often take care of themselves as those same people mature.

So to paraphrase Paul, who said "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice," let me say, "Get over yourself always, and again I say, GET OVER YOURSELF" and be an encourager not a critic.

Just a thought.