Luke 11:53, 54  When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, waiting to catch him in something he might say. (NIV)

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Jesus knew how to win friends and influence people. 

This is obvious. If you read Luke 11:37-52, you see him saying nothing but edifying, encouraging, positive, affirming words, right? 

Yeah, probably not. This was not a Joel Osteen moment for Jesus. He spoke hard truth. He told it directly and strongly to people who should have known better. In fact, they were the people who told everybody else what to do and how to do it. 

It’s always interesting to see how people who tell everybody else what to do and how to do it behave when someone with higher authority tells them what to do and how to do it. These guys didn’t like it when Jesus pulled rank. 

Verses 53 and 54 tell us that when Jesus stepped outside, these guys:

1. began to oppose him fiercely
2. besieged him with questions
3. waited to catch him in something he might say

In other words, if you go back to the top of this text and read down the page again, you’ll notice they are doing exactly what Jesus accused them of doing. 

Our psychologized society today might say that these guys lacked self-awareness. But boy, oh boy, were they aware of what Jesus had just said! And boy, oh boy, did they not like it! 

So, here is a hard question: if Jesus visited you in your home and was as honest with you as he was with these guys, what would he say? 

You were afraid this was where this thought was going, weren’t you? 

The good news we understand from this conflict between Jesus and people who should have known better is that knowing better is possible, doing better is possible, and being better is possible. The most important person to get in line and to straighten out is me. 

Read that last sentence again aloud. 

You and I now agree we’re the problem. Or we could be the problem if we acted as judgmentally as these guys did with Jesus. And if we listen to what Jesus says, we can remove the problem from ourselves and, to a large extent, from our company. 

I would very much like to live in a less critical community. I would really like to excise a critical spirit from my heart and mind. I would like to find a different way to express displeasure than through critical speech and behavior. 

Sometimes we have to confront people about the bad things they do or say, but we don’t have to be unnecessarily critical. 

I arose early each of the last two days to travel long distances by car. Yesterday’s 3:49 AM wake-up call, which was before my alarm but couldn’t be helped, put me in no real mood for time wasters from others. I caught myself stewing behind the wheel as I listened to some people talk about some things, and that’s all I have to say about that. 

Notice the most important thing from that last sentence. It says “I caught myself.” How do you know you’re getting better at not being quite so critical? You catch yourself when you start thinking critical thoughts and prepare to say critical words. 

I rewrote my script. I considered how I could take the irritation I was feeling and express it in a way that would be helpful to everyone involved. I was pretty proud of myself for how it came out when I finally expressed it several hours later to a friend who had the same kinds of thoughts and feelings. I’ve got to tell you, that was a relief. 

It was a relief to know I wasn’t being unnecessarily critical, and it was also a relief to know we each saw it the same way. 

Now I’m getting ready for the day ahead. After being on the road yesterday for over ten hours after a short night’s sleep, it is good to have rested deeply last night in preparation for all that’s ahead of me today. I have already warned myself not to be critical and condemning. If I have anything corrective to say, I want to find a way to say it that helps those who hear it. 

As you prepare for battle today, how are you preparing your heart and mind? I read an article this week that had one helpful tip that stood out among the others. It was about workplace conflict, that kind of thing. The writer said that when we are confronted by someone, one of the most important things we can do is take a deep breath and let it out. 

A deep breath inhaled but not slowly exhaled tends to excite us and push us toward sudden action. A deep, slow exhale helps us relax. Relaxed minds are like relaxed muscles. They perform better.

May we know today the peace of being the right kind of person, doing the right kinds of things, and saying the right kinds of words in the right spirit. 

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I will win friends and influence people by excising the critical spirit residing deep in my bones by learning to speak the kind truth. (Hat Tip to my Lawyer Friend whose life mission is to “Speak the kind truth.”)

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Our Father, I have often felt that if everyone would just do things my way, this world would be a whole lot better place. Some other people have helped me understand that I really need to do things their way. What I have come to understand most is that everything’s better when I do things your way. As I prepare for this day, empower me to do things your way. May your thoughts fill my mind. May your words fill my mouth. May I move at the impulse of your love. Amen.