When I've Been Wronged

      By Fern Horst

"And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village." (Luke 9:53-56)

When Jesus came to earth He ushered in a whole new way of living and thinking. While previously God's Kingdom was confined to the people of Israel, with Jesus' coming as the Saviour of everyone everywhere (and not just the Jews), His Kingdom was now without borders or other confinements. It was no longer in alignment with political and national boundaries, but rather with spiritual and eternal ones.

It took His disciples a long time to figure this out. In many ways they did not understand what Jesus was all about, nor the characteristics of His Kingdom, until after He had returned to heaven. They then received the Holy Spirit who gave them an understanding of things that they'd never had before.

In this incident in Luke, the disciples thought that it would be appropriate to ask God to destroy those who opposed Jesus. But as Jesus showed them, His purpose was not to defend Himself but rather to bring life and hope to others. Even when He was on trial before Pilate, Jesus remained silent when He could easily have defended Himself against the lies of the Jews and given Pilate the excuse he was looking for to release Him.

In this day and age when personal rights are spoken of so much, Jesus' approach is very foreign. We've learned to be very protective of our rights and resentful when our rights are violated. We want to be recognized and we want to be given our due, whatever that is. If someone else has something, we should have it, too. We shouldn't have to do without. It has become the battle cry of politicians, of employees, of women, of minorities, and, most sadly of all, of Christians.

Certainly Jesus did show us our responsibility to minister to those in need. He was the friend of the underdog, and we should be also. But when we feel our own rights are being violated by others we need to do what Jesus did: go to our Heavenly Father and present our needs and hurts to Him. He is our Provider and Protector and we have His promise to care for our every need.

Our job is not to protect ourselves nor to retaliate to those who wrong us. Rather it is to further Christ's Kingdom. Jesus said that He didn't come to destroy people, even those who opposed Him, but to save them. And as His followers, that should be our purpose also, even to those who wrong us.

Singles are certainly a minority in most churches and often feel like second-class citizens. It hurts to not feel like we belong in the very place where we should be able to find love and acceptance independent of our marital status. I don't think it's wrong to help educate our church leaders and fellow Christians about singles and what our lives are like. But when we are overlooked, or misunderstood, or just don't receive the support that our married brothers and sisters do, our Heavenly Father doesn't want us to be resentful or become bitter. Instead, we need to run to Him for the support and love that we need. And we need to keep on doing what He has put us here to do. Regardless if we find acceptance and understanding from others, it is in fulfilling His purpose for us that we find the abundant life that Jesus came to give us.

© 2006 Fern Horst

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