A Bender Byte Moment

By Ron Bender © 2011

Some time ago I was meeting with my Mentor and in the course of our conversation he asked me, “If you had one word to describe Jesus what would it be?”

How would you answer that question?  Close your eyes for a moment and consider this.  Write down the first words that come to mind. If you could only use one word to describe Jesus what would it be?

Have you stopped reading so that you can give your own answer?!  Go ahead take a moment now….

Jesus, the Word

Jesus is the Word of all words!   His is the name above all names.  He is so magnificent and multi-faceted how could we pin Him down to just one word!  And yet, I found this to be a very meaningful exercise.  The words we pick and the ones we don’t pick may have something to say about our relationship with Him.

Here are the words I thought of…  Jesus is… Love… Compassion… Holy… Lord… Teacher… Risen… Healer…  (These are all good words to describe Jesus.)

Then he looked into my eyes and shared with me his word.  You need to know that this was a special moment for me.  He’s my key mentor.  He has taught me more than any one person in my life about who God is and how to be like Jesus.  I’ve listened (many times) to his teachings.  In the last six years he has discipled me to Jesus in ways that have impacted all that I am and everything that I do as a Christian, husband, father, friend, spiritual writer…

What One Word would he use to Describe Jesus? “Relaxed.”

Relaxed?

I would have never thought of that word!  But ever since that conversation I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Jesus being relaxed.

Consider the Pressure Jesus was Under

Think about it.  Jesus had far and away the most important and dangerous mission that any human being has ever had or ever will have.  He had to wait 18 years to begin working on his calling and then He had just three years of public ministry to fulfill it.  And yet Jesus was relaxed!

Jesus needed to convince a large number people that although He was merely a man He was also the unique Son of God.  And His followers needed to be so confident in Him as their Lord and Savior that they would give their lives to lead other people to know Him – even to the point of torture and death.  And yet Jesus was relaxed!

Jesus could only be in one location at a time.  And when He left one city to go to another He left behind people that hadn’t been healed or discipled (Matthew 13:58).  Most people – even His own family at first – rejected Him and His message (Luke 4:28-30, Mark 3:20, 31-34).  Many of the people He discipled deserted him (John 6:66).  And even His faithful disciples didn’t understand who He was until after He rose from the dead (Mark 8:31-33)!  And yet Jesus was relaxed!

The fate of all humankind – past, present, and future – depended on Jesus successfully completing His gospel mission!  And yet Jesus was relaxed!

Jesus was crucified on a cross – tortured by enemies, abandoned by friends, insulted by passers by. And yet Jesus was relaxed!

And because Jesus was always relaxed in his Abba Father’s arms of love – even when he was under stress or in pain – he was able to love the people who were near him at any given time, including his enemies who were mistreating him.

I Need to Learn from Jesus’ Example!

When I have big responsibilities I start to feel overwhelmed… When I am stressed by situations anxious feelings may rise up within me… When I am criticized or rejected I am tempted to react by feeling bad about myself or getting angry… When I have lots to do I tend to hurry… When I am in terrible pain I have difficulty being loving to others…

How did Jesus remain at peace when He was under pressures much, much harder than I face?  He practiced what He preached!  He lived in the same “easy yoke” that He offers to us. We need to think of Jesus as the first disciple: He apprenticed Himself to the Father even as a child and throughout his life, learning to live out the things He would later teach. Being relaxed in Abba’s love, living in the easy yoke of the kingdom of God, is what enabled Jesus to be in a position to love, have compassion, be holy, and to fulfill all the other lofty words that we use to describe Him.

It’s important for us to ponder deeply the mysterious reality that our sinless Lord “grew” (Luke 2:52); He “learned” (Hebrews 5:8) how to…

• Maintain moment-by-moment submission to God’s will, never saying or doing anything except as the Father directed Him (John 6:38, 12:50).
• Pray without ceasing (John 11:42, 1 Thessalonians 5:17)
• Be so dependent upon the Holy Spirit as to be filled with his presence and power without limit (John 3:34).
• Bless those that cursed him (Luke 22:34).

In my discipleship to Jesus I am learning how to follow his example and walk with him in his “easy yoke,” his “unforced rhythms of grace” (Matthew 11:28, MSG).  And so more and more I too am relaxed! How about you?

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Thank you!

Ron

Ronald Bender- President/CEO Bender Consulting.~http://www.benderbytes.net/bender_consult