Kingdom Focus
Kingdom Focus
Matthew 12:22 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” 24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
If we were to read further, we would find that Jesus knew the thoughts of these religious leaders, and He spoke directly to them as a result.
Matthew 12:33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Jesus did not tolerate the abuse of the religious leaders. The only time Jesus became silent and put up with their abuse was when it was time for Him to be offered up as a sacrifice for our sins. Until then, Jesus rebuked these men and had nothing to do with them. He marginalized them by ignoring them. He seemed a bit more patient but no less direct when it was just the Jews falsely accusing Him.
John 8:48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.
This incident escalated to them desiring to kill Him after the exchange, but He slipped through the crowd unnoticed and escaped. Jesus did not give them their say by staying silent and not speaking the truth. He spoke the truth, and it made them mad.
The point is that Jesus did not go through life simply by putting up with His accusers and abusers. He did not invite them to come out cause Him grief. He did not go out of His way to accommodate them and try to win them over. They had made it clear they were not for Him, and He was not so needy or insecure that He needed them to like Him or accept Him.
Jesus was not an enabler of abusers. Those who showed up to simply give Him grief were the same ones who wanted His demise and would later manipulate situations to participate in His death. Jesus was not saying and doing what they wanted Him to, and it displeased them so much that they would rather He be gone. They went out of their way to do all they could to discredit Him.
Jesus knew that when He refused to speak and do as they desired, they would go out of their way to mislead others about Him in an attempt to destroy His reputation. That is what users and abusers do when things do not go as they had hoped. They seek to make the person who displeased them pay for not saying or doing what they desired.
Perhaps you’ve been subjected to someone who was like this towards you. They did not get what they wanted from you, so they sought to malign you to others or to speak hatefully and harshly to you and falsely accuse you. You did not do anything mean to mean them to merit such behavior. You simply did not meet their expectations.
Walk away! You are not required to keep going back for more. If they persecute you in one city, flee to another. If we stand for Christ in these last days and seek to walk according to the Spirit, there will be people who do not appreciate us. Some might even go out of their way to malign us to others. Some might even take up speaking and acting abusive toward us. Do not let this discourage or dissuade you. You are not required to win such persons over. Neither are you expected to let them stop what you are speaking or doing.
Those who persecuted Jesus thought they were doing God a favor, and so shall it be with some who might seek to make your life more difficult. Pray for and forgive them, but don’t invite them to hang around you. Do not be an enabler of their behavior; do not let them draw you into their way of being by retaliating. Keep your focus on your kingdom calling.
