SHOULD I CARE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT ME?
John 8:48-54
Have you ever heard someone say, 'I don't care what people think about me'? Most of the time when I hear someone say this there's an edge to it, telling me that deep down they really do care; otherwise their tone would be apathetic, not bitter. But should we care what people think about us? Well...yes and no.
1) False accusations.
Have you ever been falsely accused of something? Have you ever been called something you weren't? How did you respond? A natural response is to say something nasty in return. A natural response would be to slander them. In John 8 Jesus was falsely accused. Let's see how he responded.
John 8:48-50, "The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge."
The Jews were already worked up from Jesus' words earlier about them not being children of God. So now they accuse him of being possessed. This was a seriously damning accusation. It's the opposite of who Jesus was. How does he respond? He simply corrected them, "I'm not demon-possessed". He doesn't flip out, he doesn't attack, he counters their false accusation with the truth.
But how could he maintain self-control when he's being accused of something so evil? He tells us how when he said he wasn't seeking glory for himself. He relied on God to glorify him. Jesus wasn't out to impress people, he wasn't building himself up to look good, his focus was to glorify God.
If people spoke badly of him he didn't let it get to him because he knew it wasn't true and he knew the Father knew it wasn't true. And if those around him believed the religious leaders he was confident that his actions would validate his claim that he wasn't possessed.
That's how we should be when someone says things that are false about us. We don't need to go off, we just need to respond with the truth. If someone doesn't want to believe us that's on them. We want them to see the truth, but we shouldn't feel we need to jump through hoops to try to convince them or let their negative opinions about us rent any space in our head. Instead we just continue to do good.
1 Pet. 2:12, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."
We let our actions speak for us. People can say what they want but when we choose to not get caught up in the drama and continue to live godly lives then the ones who care to know the truth will see the contrast in what people are saying about us vs. what they see in us and it will all work out in the end.
1 Pet. 3:15-16, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
When we commit to honor Jesus as our Lord then it doesn't matter what people say about us or do to us, we will continue to act in morality and integrity. We're to live good lives among all people. And when we witness to someone and they have a negative response toward the gospel, we don't come out of character-we treat them gently and respectfully.
We can stand firm on the truth and still be gentle. We don't have to yell to get our point across. The hope would be that those who spew false accusations and turn our godly works into something evil will come to be ashamed for slandering us when it's clear we have no ulterior motives; we just want to love people and present the gospel to them.
2) Who do you think you are?
John 8:51-54, "I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” At this the Jews exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me."
When Jesus said he wasn't seeking glory for himself I'm sure it hit a nerve with them because they were seeking glory for themselves. They didn't like Jesus calling attention to the truth about who they were, so they retaliated. Earlier in John 8, you see that the Jews thought they were children of God but Jesus had revealed they were actually children of the devil and he showed them why that was true. But instead of accepting the truth, they rejected his words and became defensive.
In vs. 53 they asked Jesus, "who do you think you are". Typically we say this if we feel someone is full of themselves. Ironically, they were the ones who were full of themselves. What about us? When someone hits on something that is true about us and we don't like it do we snap back? Do we say, "who do you think you are, talking to me like that"? Do we say, "I don't really care what you think"?
If what is being said about us is true, we should care so we can address and resolve the issue. Humility goes a long way. Sometimes we elevate ourselves to get people to think we're something more than what we really are. In this case we do care what people think because we're trying to create an image that impresses people. We could take a lesson from John the Baptist.
Acts 13:24-25, "Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you think I am? I am not that one. No, but he is coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."
Some were wondering if John the Baptist was the Messiah. John could have allowed that to go to his head. "They're wondering if I'm the Christ. Wow, I'm pretty special." But John didn't do that. He knew Jesus was the one and he had no issue making that known. John had amassed a following. But when Jesus started his ministry, he was getting the attention now.
In John 3:26, John's disciples came and told him that Jesus was baptizing and everyone was going to him. It was like they were saying, 'hey John, Jesus is out there stealing your thunder'. His response was humble. John 3:30, "He must become greater, I must become less."
John knew that his purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus. He knew his role and his humility allowed him to back off and point to the one who was greater. It didn't matter if people thought he was someone great or even the Savior himself; he wasn't going to get caught up in all that. John was content to move away from the spotlight to make room for the main attraction. He knew what God prepared him for and he was good with that.
That's all that really matters isn't it? If we are fulfilling the purpose God created us for, should we really be complaining that we're not more like so-and-so? Sometimes we get mad that God didn't give us the abilities we admire in others. That's not good. We will be forever miserable if we focus on and compare ourselves with others.
Can we admire and appreciate the gifts we see in others without being jealous of them or mad at God because he didn't make us like them? It doesn't matter that we're not as good-looking or smart or talented as someone else. If we fixate on thinking we don't measure up to the next guy we miss the reality of how we are gifted. We won't see our own abilities and we won't develop our own skills and gifts if we go around comparing ourselves with those who have what we wish we had.
The question, "who do you think you are" is an important one to answer. Do I think too much of myself or do I think too little of myself? Neither one is good. What does God think of me; who does he say I am? We're a servant of Christ who is gifted by Christ in order to bring glory to Christ.
So, should I care what people think of me? No when it's not true and yes when it is. We're called to shine the light as representatives of Jesus. We don't want to portray an image that doesn't reflect who he is; we don't want to damage our witness.
And when people say, who do you think you are, when they're offended by the truth, we just need to stay in check and continue to love them. We can rejoice in humility and godly confidence because of who and what God has told us we are. I care what you think of me, not because I'm insecure or I want to impress you but because I want you to see Jesus in me so that God would be glorified.
