Jesus Wasn’t Iowa Nice
“Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ ”
I was raised to be a people pleaser. At times, being a pleaser proved beneficial. For example, I once found myself in a home full of gang members in Chicago. Knowing how to be a people pleaser was extremely beneficial that night. Yet, being a people-pleaser in every situation is a danger to one’s self-identity and integrity. Why? Because there are many times when pleasing others conflicts with one’s faith.
When you decide, in a certain situation, not to be a people pleaser, remember that Jesus wasn’t always a people pleaser either. John Thomas, in his article “Jesus Wasn’t a People-Pleaser,” puts it this way: “Jesus’ ability to control himself instead of give in to the demands of the crowd, reveals that we was more concerned with his Father’s will than with pleasing the people.” It requires a mature faith to know when to be a pleaser and when to stand up for one’s beliefs. Fighting every fight, no matter how small, will do little more than leave you bruised. Picking the necessary fights is something Jesus had the wisdom to evaluate and execute well. Even when it landed him on a Cross. Jesus was wise enough to know what is worth living for and what is even worth dying for.
John Thomas points out, “Our culture preaches a ‘follow your heart’ ‘be true to yourself’ gospel. It is a gospel that is completely at odds with the way Jesus lived in complete submission to his Father’s will.” It is hard to live in this world and do so “in complete submission to his Father’s will.” The best we can do is to bring our options before God in prayer and trust the Holy Spirit to bring us the wisdom to know when to please and when to say “no.”
Jesus would not want us to be pleasers in the face of injustice. Too many Christian people were pleasers during the Civil Rights movement, for example. Today, reflect on your decision-making. Are you a pleaser who too often does what others want? Are you someone who is always looking for something to fight about, never relaxing and enjoying the people around you? Almost all of us are somewhere in the middle. Prayerfully ask God to guide you to find your place with confidence, knowing what to let run off your back, and what is worth standing up for. Yet, if you are in a room of gang bangers, I would still recommend being a pleaser!
