I experienced a wide variety of negative responses when proclaiming the Christian gospel message with people at their doorstep or in their homes. I was often amazed however, at just how rude and bad mannered many of the elderly, retired, “well-to do” people could become. In every other way perhaps, they would probably show up in society as good, moral, loving, law-abiding citizens, enjoying themselves and others as they continued making contribution in whatever way they could, often with no expense spared.
If one was to observe them from simply that perspective one could be forgiven for thinking “butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths.” If these people happened to be parents and grandparents, it is almost certain that they would have invested heavily in ensuring their children, “be brought up well,” and they probably succeeded in the task. At some point, in fact at numerous points in those children’s lives, it would have been made clear to them that one should at all times, “be on their best behavior.” So what is the explanation for such behavior towards a messenger of the gospel of Christ?
Another common response came from people well schooled in the art of patronism or condescension. They specialized in throwing smoke-screens around themselves by implying that they had set high standards of ethics and morality, “even though we are not religious.” They would also tell me that I was doing wonderful work in the community, “for those who need it.” They didn’t see themselves among “those.” They would also tell me that Jesus was a “wonderful man” with some “wonderful truths” for the world. I would ask them what they knew of those truths and it always came back to the Golden Rule.
Often I would challenge their viewpoint by informing them that every religion has the Golden Rule, but that it is a “rule” that limits Jesus’ teachings immensely, because it really only speaks to ethics and morality. Because they saw themselves as ethical and moral people, they were quick to embrace Golden Rule philosophy, as they were already living it. The fact that Jesus was speaking of a standard humanly impossible to reach without a full surrender to Himself for the empowerment to do so, had either not entered into their thinking or was at some point rejected from their thinking. So what is the explanation for patronism and condescension towards a messenger of the gospel of Christ?
Then I met people who were full of questions about Christ and the Bible but they wanted no answers, only arguments. They would fire a question – and then another one – and then another one – whilst I was attempting to answer the first one. Either they were blinded to their insincerity and phoniness or they couldn’t care less about it. In any case, it matters very little. If ever anyone wanted to know what Jesus means when He says not to cast our pearls before swine, Matthew 7:6, it is these kind of people He is speaking about – arrogant, belligerent, obscene, sensual, God-despisers, Christ-despisers and truth-despisers.
It took a while in coming to practical terms with the “swine” reality. Not everybody who fires questions in like manner fits into that category. For some, it’s yet another smoke-screen that they hide behind as they seek for truth, but one soon learns who is worthy of one’s time and energy and who is not. Clear distinctions can only be made however, when the messenger of Christ knows not to cave in to labels placed upon him/her – labels such as: unloving, judgmental, fundamentalist. The people who make those accusations have no idea of the biblical meanings of those words. Too many in the church have no idea either. So what is the explanation for such a response towards a messenger of the gospel of Christ?
Another group of people I encountered were those who wanted to hear what they already knew – or thought they knew. As a messenger of the Lord Jesus, it was my responsibility to tell the people, not what they wanted to hear, but rather, what they needed to hear. None of us are comfortable with the thought of having to embrace that which cuts across our biases, but that is exactly what the gospel will do. These people gave the appearance of being sincere and genuine with their questions, but when the answers given got too close to the bone they’d say something like, “I gotta go. It was really lovely talking to you.”
One lady who fell into this category originally suffered from depression and wanted to kill herself. She was ministered to by myself and her Christian friend, whereby she asked for the gift of salvation, as a result of experiencing beforehand the reality of Jesus Christ. Because the Lord’s reality touched her physically as well as emotionally, she was reluctant to accept Christ’s word from the gospels where He told the woman caught in adultery to go and sin no more. Why was she reluctant to accept the written word? Because it didn’t line up with the wonderful feelings she experienced – and because she wanted to have an extra-marital affair. So what is the explanation for this response towards a gospel messenger of Christ?
Any serious Bible study undertaken by a born-again, Holy Spirit-led, Jesus Christ-centered, Bible-based student will clearly reveal the nature of human beings. They will find that it is a nature that operates independently of God, regardless of whether one acknowledges it or not, or whether one believes it or not. This independence is not something that is learned, it is what we are. It is sown at conception and we are born with it. It is true that our independence is further developed by influences, experiences, choices, decisions, practices and maturity, but this is due to our natural inheritance much more-so than any planned, self-determination.
That is part of the explanation for the elderly people’s rudeness and bad manners to a gospel messenger of Jesus Christ, as it is for the patronizing and condescending, as it is for the those who want arguments rather than answers and as it is for those who only want to hear what they want to hear. Our different responses and reactions are due to the development or shaping of our individual personalities, rather than the development of our character or nature. No matter how well we develop or shape the latter, the Bible declares that if we do so without recognizing our need for Jesus Christ, then we do it independently of God.
That is what makes the Bible, the gospel, the true Jesus Christ and His biblical followers all despised in the eyes of such people. These are not instruments of good news in their eyes, they are anything but that. Why? Because deep within the inner-most being of each one is the knowledge that there is a God and that there is a requirement for them to change. They know it. It is a knowledge that has been placed there by God Almighty Himself, who tells them they are without excuse if they don’t change. They know that too. That is what New Testament Romans 1:18-32 is all about.
One of the reasons I never bowed to the “judgmental” label, is because they are already judged – and have been found guilty. Guilty of living a life independently of God, which He calls sin. So, God is the Judge and Juror, not the messenger. Therefore, no matter how nice or horrible, no matter how giving or stingy, no matter how religious or non-religious, no matter how clever, educated, sophisticated, talented – or their opposites – they are all in the same boat. Another reason I didn’t bow to that label is because I too was once in that boat with them.
The only difference between me and them is that I asked Jesus Christ to take me out of that boat, I could see it was sinking. Why Jesus Christ and not somebody else? Because even though God is the Judge and Juror who finds all of us guilty of living independently of Him, it was He, God Himself manifested in the Man Jesus Christ who came to earth specifically to take that guilt of ours upon a cross and die for it, so that we wouldn’t have to. The Bible tells us there is no forgiveness for any sin without the shedding of blood. It was God Himself who shed that blood. No human blood spilt could ever be sufficient for such a task.
A favorite accusation thrown at me was/is, “You are no better than me! You are no different than me!” It is true that I am no better than them. But it is not true that I am no different than them. The difference is, I live dependent upon God in Christ and the blood He shed, which delivered me from independence. If those people did the same, they would be no better than others either, but they would be different. “And He said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.’ ” Luke 16:15.