Reactions to Jesus were mixed in the days of his earthly ministry—and they remain so today. And to get to grips with the dynamics of people’s responses, we need to know and understand two aspects of Jesus’ character and identity that might almost seem contradictory, but which hold together perfectly in him: Jesus Christ has all authority—while at the same time, he is gentle and lowly.
I recently asked a room full of Christian leaders to share the Gospel as they would to a 10 year old child 3 minutes before they fell asleep. Then I asked them to share the Gospel as they would to a complete stranger on the subway who was getting off at the next stop. The results were a little disappointing to everyone involved. Most of us prefer to warm up to such things. Most of us would rather share the Gospel gradually, in snips and bits, over an extended period, within a safe and stable relational context. In general, I...
