Humiliated or Humbled?

It would be safe to say that all of us have humiliated ourselves at one time or another. I remember one time I said an unkind word about a classmate of mine my junior year in high school only to realize that she was sitting right behind me. I wished I could hide underneath the tiles on the floor. I don’t even know why I said it because I liked her. She was a sweet person who wouldn’t hurt anyone. I went to her after class and apologized, but things were never the same between us. 

But that is a little different than someone calling you out in front of other people on a character flaw. That is exactly what Jesus did to the synagogue ruler who criticized Jesus for healing a woman on the Sabbath. On this occasion Jesus said to the ruler and those who agreed with him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” (Luke 13:10-17)

The passage says that Jesus’ opponents were humiliated, however, it does not say that they were humbled. No mention is made of humility or repentance on the part of His enemies.  

There is a good lesson for us in this account. Proverbs 17:10 says, “A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool.” What is our response when we are rebuked? (NIV) The ESV says, “A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.”  

How do you react to rebuke? How do I? Let’s ask the Lord for understanding hearts that receive correction. We may “ouch” at first, but in the end may God grant us wise and discerning hearts that respond properly to rebuke and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus. A timely rebuke is a gift; the thing you do with a gift is receive it, right?