We can be thankful that we live in a time when we are not afraid to consider the whole humanity of Jesus. He was a person, of course! He cried, he got hungry, tired, and then he bled and died – for us. None of that consideration takes away from his full divinity. God’s power in him was evident and manifested in his healings and miracles. He was, in a way, burdened with the truth; in fact, he self-identified as being the Truth. Although he never forced himself on anyone, never compelled anyone to follow him (even with the original twelve it was an invitation), he could be assertive when the situation called for it.
Gentle, meek and mild? I say thee “nay”!! He was all that – and so much more. His lovingkindness is certainly what draws us to him, but he was never passive. He was clearly focused on his purpose; he had to be. His life, his purpose was clearly in opposition to that of the religious authorities. He had to be assertive, at times even aggressive. “Get behind me, Satan!” “You brood of vipers!”

My lack of assertiveness has been my constant “bugaboo.” It has kept me from achieving many things and caused me to reluctantly give in, hating myself for doing so afterwards. It is my biggest, most enduring growing edge. Once in my Navy time, a good friend and mentor chided me saying, “Art, you’re too damned nice!’ He knew I would never earn respect as a leader if I was not assertive. There are a couple of sayings or mottos that have served me well. “It is sometimes easier to seek forgiveness than ask permission.” “In leadership, if you begin strong, laying down the law, then you can back off after a while. The opposite is nigh impossible.” We have the perfect role model in Jesus. He was always kind, but sometimes he was not nice. Strident. Assertive. Wise as a serpent, yet gentle as a dove. He embodied all the best qualities of a man, of a person. He made his point, sometimes directly and sometimes by way of a parable. He gained respect, even with such an “enemy” as Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin, or highest order of Pharisee. Jesus won people over with his straight-forward, crystal-clear focus. He is easy for us to love, even though his example is hard to follow at times. “Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, do good to those who hate you.” Even if they scorn you and revile you even further. We can be assertively loving, knowing that Jesus has our back. For people like us, who are trying to walk by faith, we are works in progress. Our Lord will never grow tired of molding us and coaching us in being more assertive. Lost souls will not usually fall in our laps. We are called, gathered and sent as disciples. Our God’s unconditional love will surround us always.

Pastor Art