This past Sunday I preached from Luke 16 (yes, I'm still in Luke) and read these words: "The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him." The few words "and they ridiculed him" stood out to me. There is much more to this text that I tried to draw out in the sermon on Sunday, but I thought I would post a few of my thoughts on these 4 words.
First of all, I recently have found myself dealing with criticism and what I would consider 'being misunderstood'. Is it not amazing how God's Word always speaks to us in our time of need? The very week in which I find myself dealing with this issue, I turn to the next passage in Luke's gospel and I find Christ being ridiculed. I then began to examine myself in this area of dealing with criticism. Here are a few of my thoughts and I hope they are helpful to you (if not, feel free to criticize!).
When you find yourself under criticism or ridicule, first evaluate your heart and mindset. If we find ourselves getting angry or desiring to get even, this is not a good sign! Stop and ask yourself why you are feeling this way (yes, this is permission to talk to yourself). Is your anger truly a righteous anger over God and His glory or is it because you have been misunderstood and possibly not appreciated?
Think about Moses as he was leading the nation of Israel into the Promised Land. Often during this journey, the Israelites rebelled and forsook their God and as a result God threatened to wipe them out and begin again by making a great nation from Moses. This is what led Moses to pray those great intercessory prayers on behalf of his people. In those prayers, Moses pleaded with God and reminded Him of His covenant and His name. Moses was concerned first and foremost with the name of God. Moses chose for God's name to be great and not his own! An average football coach (best known for his mantra: "hello, you play to win the game!) once said 'I know my guys are getting it when they care more about the name on their helmets than the name on the back of their jerseys'. In the same way, a sign of God's people 'getting it' is when they care more about God's name being exalted than their own. Moses in his prayers (much like the Lord's prayer) displays that he is getting it and I hope to be growing in this process as well.
Which brings me to my second point on 'dealing with criticism'. Remember that God will use all things (including criticism, ridicule and being misunderstood) for our good. The greatest good that God always has in mind for us is to make us more like Christ. This is called sanctification. While we may find it difficult (what is being said of us) or disappointing (who is saying it), if we receive it in humility God will bring forth growth in our lives.
Next, if you are under criticism remember that you are in good company. Christ often reminded his disciples of this fact. As I teach through the gospel of Luke, I am amazed by how many times Christ was misunderstood and ridiculed. Christ warned His followers that this would be their lot as well.
Finally, if criticism or being misunderstood is 'as bad as it gets for me' than I have it really good. Christ endured criticism, ridicule, rejection, suffering, sorrow and ultimately crucifixion because of who He was and what He taught. His disciples were martyred for their faith and many of the heroes of the faith down through the ages suffered and paid a dear price for their convictions. If the greatest battles I face are "not being liked" or "being misunderstood", I have it pretty easy!
Here are a few more points on handling criticism that come from Kevin DeYoung's book 'Why we love the church':
"How should we handle these criticisms? Well, it's always a good idea to start by listening. As Christians, and especially for those of us who are leaders, we need to take an honest look at ourselves and our churches. We all have imbalances. We all have specks to remove, and some of us have planks. We're kidding ourselves if we think our churches don't have weaknesses. Every preacher has to learn to handle criticism. In addition to a lot of encouraging comments, I've been told my sermons are too long, too boring, too light, too heavy, too Reformed, not Reformed enough, too focused on application, and too light on application. A hard-hearted pastor shuts all this out because he's sure anyone who critiques him is a spiritual nincompoop. That's bad. But so is the people-pleasing, damage-control pastor who rewrites the week's message to make Susie-Ticked-Off feel better. I haven't fully figured out how to handle criticism, but first I try to listen and understand what my critics are saying. Then I consider the source - their attitude, their track record, their motives. Finally, I ask the Lord for wisdom to know if I should pay attention or forget about the conversation." (Why we love the church, pgs. 74-75)
