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“Let The Beauty Of Jesus Be Seen In Your Speech – Part 1”
Let The Beauty Of Jesus Be Seen In Your Speech – Part 1
Wade Webster
The song that serves as the central thought of this lesson contains both direct and indirect references to our speech. In the fourth verse the song speaks of letting the beauty of Jesus be seen in all that we say. The fourth verse also urges us to strive to keep sweet. Although keeping sweet doesn’t have to refer to speech, it is likely included. In the third verse, the song speaks of remembering how Jesus was treated and reviled when someone is unkind to us and speaks some word that pierces us through. Clearly, the implication is that we should show the same restraint in our speech that Jesus showed in His speech.
There are just under 65,000 words in the four gospels. A little over 31,000 of those words are from the lips of Jesus. Jesus spoke often in the gospels and we can learn much from what He said and how He said it. What kinds of words characterized the speech of Jesus?
Gracious Words
Luke records, “So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” (Lk. 4:22). As you know, grace refers to unmerited favor. Jesus spoke with favor that had not and could not be earned. Just think of the words that Jesus spoke from the cross. To those who had shouted for Him to be crucified, He prayed, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34). To the woman who was taken in the act of adultery and cast down at His feet for sentencing and stoning, Jesus asked,“Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?” (John 8:10). When she answered, “No man, Lord,” Jesus said unto her, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:11). This woman came fearing severe judgment, but she left having found saving grace. It should not surprise us that Jesus spoke gracious words. You may recall that Jesus taught that the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart (Mat. 12:34). This is the reason why Solomon instructed us to keep our hearts with all diligence because out of it are the issues of life (Prov. 4:23). As we think in our hearts we are (Prov. 23:7). Our works and our words just reveal the condition and the contents of our hearts. When John spoke of the incarnation of Christ, he described Jesus among other things as being full of grace (John 1:14). Since Jesus was full of grace, that is what came forth from His mouth. If we have the mind/heart of Christ, then grace will be what comes out of our mouths too (Phil. 2:5). To the Christians at Colosse, Paul wrote, “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Col. 4:6).
Thoughtful Words
Jesus said, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned”(Mat. 12:36-37). Idle is from the Greek word argos which means lazy and useless. Idle words are words that are uttered without thought. We must give great thought to our words because of the power that they contain. Solomon declared, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Prov. 18:21; cf. Jam. 3:5-6). Life was in the words of Jesus. On one occasion, He declared, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). What about our words? Do we give the thought that we should before we speak? Solomon wrote, “The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness” (Prov. 15:2). Again, we read, “He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit” (Prov. 17:27). Are we slow to speak? James wrote, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (Jam. 1:19). Do our words tend toward life or death?
