Written By Ben Dankaka
Meditation – Matthew 11:16
During one of His teaching sessions, Jesus compared the attitude of the people to a situation in the marketplace where some children sat down and complained that they had played the flute but the people did not dance. And when the kids went ahead and sang a funeral song, the people didn’t mourn. As at the time that Jesus made the statement, He was concerned with the way the people had responded to both His ministry and that of John the Baptist. That is, when John came and preached the message of the kingdom of heaven through an unusual method, the people ignored him and even called him a “demon”. And when Jesus Himself came and preached the same gospel but through a different technique from that of John the Baptist, the people also snubbed it and insulted Him.
My friend, know that whichever way you decide to pursue your purpose, you are going to be criticized. It doesn’t matter how talented you are; people are going to oppose you. This happens because anyone who is living a life of purpose belongs to a rare class of people called leaders. And by nature, leaders are individuals who stand out among many because they are driven by a sense of purpose. Their purpose is what actually makes them break the traditions. Recall that when John the Baptist showed up, He preached a unique message, and urged the people to repent. Unlike the Pharisees, he drank no wine, lived in the wilds and lived, eating locusts. Jesus on the other hand, interacted with people, even though He also preached the message of the kingdom. In contrast to the Pharisees, he mingled with “sinners”. So He was also criticized. But despite the oppositions, John and Jesus succeeded. You too will succeed in spite of the criticisms.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me the strength to face criticisms. Amen.
REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 11:1-19
Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.