Can one overcome mockery and triumph despite the detractors?

Why are they making fun of me? I don't know anyone who hasn't asked themselves this question, at least among those who are sincere and honest in what they do. And it becomes more serious and more painful when this mockery occurs in a context where one is trying to do one's best to help others and serve God. Lacking a satisfactory answer to this question, many throw in the towel and say to themselves that from now on, they will either do like everyone else and become selfish, or continue to do good but become cynical.

Don't fall into any of these traps, I have good news for you. They mocked Jesus and He showed us how to deal with mockers.

'And they laughed at him.'

One of those little phrases we quickly skip over as we continue reading to get to the heart of the story being told—the miracle, the healing, the teaching. In this instance, it's the incident where Jesus brings Jairus's daughter back to life. With the now-famous words, 'Talitha cumi,' He takes her by the hand and entrusts her alive to her parents; all three Synoptic Gospels tell the story; you can't miss it.

On the other hand, we can miss this little sentence that preceded the miracle: 'And they mocked Him.'

Here is the scene, Jesus arrived at Jairus's house after a few twists and turns. First, his journey was momentarily interrupted by the woman suffering from an issue of blood. By faith, she received her healing, prompting Jesus to stop and ask who had touched him because he had felt the power coming out of him; then, Jairus's servants would have dissuaded him since the woman had died in the meantime; but he insisted on going and simply encouraged Jairus to believe.

When he arrived, he found people crying and making a racket. He told them that the little girl was not dead, she was asleep, and at that, they began to mock him, to deride his words and to despise him.

His reaction, amazing.

He does not seek to explain or justify himself.
He takes them out of the room, brings in the mother, the father and His three disciples, and does what He came to do. He brings the little girl back to life, and, strangely enough, at least for us

He doesn't boast
He does not seek to show off or assert himself in front of those who had despised him. On the contrary, he asks that they not be discussed. Their attitude has no influence on his objective.

He didn't stop his work
Think about what might have happened if He had been offended by the mockery upon His arrival? The girl would have remained dead because He would have spent her time grumbling and reacting in a carnal way. Some would even have left in anger, saying, 'If that's how it is...' He is not so hurt that He would no longer go to people's homes or heal their sick.

I stand in awe of Jesus, of His confidence, His awareness of who He was, what He came to do on earth, and what it would cost Him, and His refusal to be sidetracked by any negative feelings no matter what people do to Him.

They mocked Him because they didn't understand what He was doing. They lacked revelation. Others criticized Him because they had a different doctrine of salvation than Jesus', such as the Pharisees. Wherever He met them, they were ready to fight. You will face both. There are people who are so sure of themselves that they will not hesitate to ridicule everything you do and who you are.

Then, because you are not Jesus, you will make mistakes, and some will take the opportunity to mock and sneer.

[pullquote]Criticism, mockery, ridicule, and misunderstanding are an inevitable part of life for anyone who doesn't want to die mediocre and sets out to devote the best of their abilities to serving God. Will people mock you? Yes. Will they criticize you? Yes. Sometimes savagely. And some, moreover, will be convinced that they are doing it for God and for the cause of Christ.[/pullquote]

 

Once upon a time

The ancients had real doctrinal battles. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, recounts a meeting between the venerable Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, a disciple of the Apostle John, and Marcion the heretic. Marcion asks Polycarp, "Do you know me?" and Polycarp replies, "Yes, the eldest son of Satan."

Tough; but what exactly did they blame Marcion for?

• He denied, nothing less, any connection between the God of the Jews, who would be a wicked creator God, source of evil, and the God of Jesus, kind and sympathetic.
• Jesus would not have come in the flesh, but would have been an apparition.
• He also rejected all books of the New Testament except the writings of Paul and the Gospel of Luke, which he also removed of any reference to the Jewish origins of Christianity.

You see that there were fundamentals of faith that were at stake.

Nowadays

Today, we tend to leave the 'Marcions' of our generation alone, for the sake of tolerance.

The mockery and ridicule is carefully prepared and directed at others, even within Christian orthodoxy. They are accused of differences in style and methods; sometimes of 'gender,' as they say so well in French these days, not to mention color or origin.

Failing to win our countries to Christ, we are busy denigrating and mocking other churches, other servants of God, hypercharismatics, hypocharismatics, the prosperity gospel, the poverty gospel, this conference, this gathering, this person or other.

For the most part, they are just ordinary individuals who, despite their shortcomings, seek only to obey God's call and serve Him. And between two sessions of collective disembowelment, a prayer meeting to ask for revival.

 What to do?

• Stay the course, do as Jesus did. We must not stop seeing what our critics don't see. Jesus saw a child returning from the dead; the mockers saw a dead child. The difference is significant. What do you see?
• To put out mockery and ridicule, to expel them from one's field of meditation and reflection, and
• not to be deflected from one's goal and one's visceral attachment to Jesus and His gospel. Bitterness creeps in because one can tire of the sneers of others, but Jesus is worth it. It is a privilege to suffer for Him.

'And they mocked Him.' A servant is not greater than his master. When you are mocked, you are in good company. Their ancestors mocked your Master.

Shalom!

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