ODJ: misunderstood
June 11, 2011
He did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered. He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly (v.23).
READ: 1 Peter 2:21-25 He did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered. He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly (v.23).
Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked, “Is it so bad to be misunderstood?” He went on to point out, “Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh.” Apparently, being misunderstood puts us in some pretty good company.
Consider Jesus, the only person to ever live a perfect life. For Him, it started at the age of 12—when He stayed behind in Jerusalem after the annual Feast of the Passover (Luke 2:41-50). His parents, who were a day’s journey into making their way back home to Nazareth, suddenly realized Jesus was missing. They were understandably concerned and upset, and began frantically searching for Him. Three days later, they found their young son back in Jerusalem remaining in the temple with the religious teachers, but they clearly didn’t get why He was there (v.50).
Then there was the time Jesus remained in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were out to kill Him. When it came time to travel down to Judea for the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where Your followers can see Your miracles! You can’t become famous if You hide like this! If You can do such wonderful things, show Yourself to the world!” (John 7:3-4). Even His own brothers misunderstood His true mission (v.5).
It’s never fun to be misunderstood, especially over something important. I’m fairly certain that Jesus didn’t enjoy it. But perhaps Emerson was on to something. To be misunderstood for the cause of our great Savior shouldn’t sow seeds of doubt and discouragement in our hearts. For as Emerson put it, “To be great is to be misunderstood.” Jesus is our great example! (1 Peter 2:21). —Jeff Olson
When have you been misunderstood due to your faith in Jesus? How will you present the greatness of Jesus to others today?
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