Principled Speech
Our TV screens, social media ads, and radio airwaves are inundated with campaign ads, political speeches, and political debates. Here’s what I have paid close attention to of late. I study how and what the candidate communicates, compared to what is/has been their public record. Here’s what I know for sure. The greatest test is for words to match our work. Jesus is our example, and Jesus always acted according to principle.
Read Luke 23:6-12 This exchange is borderline bizarre. It is one of the most profound images of Jesus. He knows Herod doesn’t have the right mindset. Miracles are not for entertainment. This is not a magic show. Therefore, He remained silent. Review Matthew 14:1-12 Think on this. John the Baptist was Jesus’s biological cousin. While we can’t be sure of exactly how Jesus felt about Herod, what we do know is that He hadn’t forgotten it. Compare Luke 23:6-12 with Luke 13:31-33. Is it wrong that Jesus referred to Herod as a fox? The tone certainly seems disparaging. Could it be that Jesus knew that Herod was corrupt to the core? How do you relate to such a person? Compare Matthew 7:6, Proverbs 27:46, Matthew 15:26 The Bible makes it clear that some people and situations are best not to be entertained. Can you think of a time when it was best that you be quiet or bow out altogether? Study Hebrews 12:2, Isaiah 53:7 Notice that Jesus was resolute concerning His purpose. Reflect on a time when you were tempted to fold under pressure against your purpose and values. Read Acts 5:27-33 Notice how even under the threat of death, the apostles would not relinquish their conviction. In what ways are you being challenged right now that require that you to reaffirm your stance? Read Daniel 3:16-18. Jesus lived according to principle. The three Hebrew boys lived according to principle. May we be found amongst those who maintained their integrity even in the midst of fierce trial. ……………………………………………………………………….. CHRISTOPHER C. THOMPSON, D.MIN is an adjunct professor in the School of Religion and Theology at Oakwood University. He serves as the Executive Director of Thumbs Up, Inc., and pastor of Lighthouse Church in Beaufort, South Carolina.
“Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, ‘Dear woman, here is your son.’ And he said to this disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from then on this disciple took her into his home” (John 19:25-27) When Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad.” He had never before met the Saviour, but “he was desirous to see Him of a long season, because he had heard many things of Him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by Him.’ This Herod was he whose hands were stained with the blood of John the Baptist. When Herod first heard of Jesus, he was terror-stricken, and said, “It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead;” “therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him.” Mark 6:16; Matthew 14:2. Yet Herod desired to see Jesus. Now there was opportunity to save the life of this prophet, and the king hoped to banish forever from his mind the memory of that bloody head brought to him in a charger. He also desired to have his curiosity gratified, and thought that if Christ were given any prospect of release, He would do anything that was asked of Him. “A large company of the priests and elders had accompanied Christ to Herod. And when the Saviour was brought in, these dignitaries, all speaking excitedly, urged their accusations against Him. But Herod paid little regard to their charges. He commanded silence, desiring an opportunity to question Christ. He ordered that the fetters of Christ should be unloosed, at the same time charging His enemies with roughly treating Him. Looking with compassion into the serene face of the world’s Redeemer, he read in it only wisdom and purity. He as well as Pilate was satisfied that Christ had been accused through malice and envy. “Herod questioned Christ in many words, but throughout the Saviour maintained a profound silence. At the command of the king, the decrepit and maimed were then called in, and Christ was ordered to prove His claims by working a miracle. ‘Men say that Thou canst heal the sick’, said Herod. I am anxious to see that Thy widespread fame has not been belied. Jesus did not respond, and Herod still continued to urge: ‘If Thou canst work miracles for others, work them now for Thine own good, and it will serve Thee a good purpose.’ Again he commanded, Show us a sign that Thou hast the power with which rumor hath accredited Thee. But Christ was as one who heard and saw not. The Son of God had taken upon Himself man’s nature. He must do as man must do in like circumstances. Therefore He would not work a miracle to save Himself the pain and humiliation that man must endure when placed in a similar position.” …......…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ELLEN G. WHITE (1827-1915), one of the most published authors in the world, named one of the “100 Most Significant Americans of All Time” by the Smithsonian Institution in 2014, was a co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. *You can read The Desire of Ages in its entirety online at www.whiteestate.org/onlinebooks.
_________________ *You can read The Desire of Ages in its entirety online at www.whiteestate.org/onlinebooks.
This article is part of our 2024 November/December Issue
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This article is part of our 2024 November/December Issue
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