No one enjoys being humiliated. Unfortunately, humiliation is a part of everyone’s life, especially during middle school and high school, and it’s not uncommon for people’s attempts to humiliate you to come through insults (roasts). Generally, when we are insulted, we have this urge to make a comeback and insult them.
In Oswald Chambers’ devotional book My Utmost for His Highest I read about a revolutionary way of thinking: looking at each insult and effort to humiliate as a glorious opportunity to display the Gospel.
In our culture, the norm is that if you insult and humiliate me, I’m going to do everything I can to do the same to you. As Christians, though, we are called to the opposite.
Matthew 5:38-9: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (ESV). There is a very obvious command given here: don’t retaliate; don’t try to get even.
A lot of people will take these verses and get just that out of them– a command. They aren’t wrong in understanding the verse this way, but they are missing out on something huge. Oswald Chambers nailed it on the head when he said, “A personal insult becomes an opportunity for a saint to reveal the incredible sweetness of Jesus Christ.”
What does he mean by this? What kind of opportunity is this? It’s an opportunity to show the person attacking you the love of Jesus Christ. As I stated before, the norm in our culture is to protect your honor and attack back with the hope to decrease the effect of their insult by hurting them even more. Imagine the effect that silence can have when someone is attacked. No one really expects it. Or, if they do, they expect that person to be crestfallen because they can’t think of a response… they don’t expect the attacked person to stand there with resolve to love with Christ’s love over and over again.
Jesus said that the world will know us as His disciples by the love we have for each other in the Church (John 13:35), but they will also know us for the love we show the world. The Church is often attacked by outsiders who say that we are all just a bunch of hypocrites. One of the main things they say is that we don’t love each other, much less our neighbor. It’s not completely accurate but there is truth to this. Really, it doesn’t matter how true the statement is, all that matters is that the Church has this reputation.
It will not be easy to overcome that image. In some people’s minds, it’s not possible to do so, but if we want to make any headwind in our society, we have to show everyone what it looks like to truly live as a Christian.
There are so many examples of this love being lived out through a lack of retaliation. The prime example for Christians, though, is Jesus. Before He was nailed to the cross, he was spit on, beat, and cursed, but He did not utter a single insult. He did not even harbor resentment in His heart for any of them. This is a full manifestation of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, “Love is patient and kind… does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful” (ESV, emphasis added). Not only did he not have resentment or respond with insults, he responded by saying: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:24 ESV). Christ’s example to us, His imitators (Ephesians 5:1-2), when he’s being killed certainly applies to roasts in high school and attacks in the workplace.
Therefore,, not only are we supposed to love with our actions but also with our thoughts. That’s a tall task, yes, but it’s a task we are called to.
Every time we get offended and want to lash out, we should keep in mind there is more than your personal reputation riding on your response. Oswald Chambers said, “A disciple realizes that it is his Lord’s honor that is at stake in his life, not his own honor.”
As Christians, we are representatives of Christ to the world. People are going to see the way we act as a reflection of ourselves but, more importantly, a reflection of Christ. Think of it in this way:
The people who are employed at a large company to handle customer service issues are customer service representatives- they are representing their company. If they are very dismissive and behave like they don’t have time to handle your problem, it is going to taint your view of that company– especially if that is your only experience with it.
Similarly, if the rep is extremely helpful and patient with you and gives you a good experience, your view of that company is most likely going to be positive.
In the same way, our interactions with people can determine their view of Christianity. You could be the only real Christian that person ever knows and the way you act (and react) is going to speak for the name of Christ.
The next time someone tries to belittle and humiliate you, recognize the glorious opportunity to show them Christ’s love and the Gospel lived out. It’s never easy, but as we pray and practice it more, it does become easier. Start praying about it now so that you are ready when you need to be.