A few years ago, I knew I had a big car repair on the horizon so I asked some friends if they could recommend a good mechanic in town. Both friends gave me the name of the same guy. And both gave the exact same recommendation:
“He’s not the cheapest in town, but he’s honest and fair.”
I called him up. He examined the car.
It’s at this point that the mechanic had to make his most important marketing decisions with respect to us. What he did from this point on could determine whether he had a new customer.
- Was he going to tell us the truth — good or bad?
- How was he going to deliver the news?
These are things Christians must decide when we share the Gospel. As witnesses for Christ, we have a great responsibility to share the truth revealed to us in God’s Word. The whole truth. No distortions. Nothing added. Nothing taken away.
In Mark 10:17-22, we see how Jesus, the King of Kings, shares truth with a young, rich ruler who has questions about eternal life.
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'”
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
This obviously was not what the young man wanted to hear. Jesus points out the one thing that kept the ruler from eternal life. Did you catch how Jesus delivered the news?
Our Savior, the Son of God, “looked at him and loved him.”
Can you picture the scene?
It’s not a scene of cold, harsh judgement. It’s tenderness and honesty wrapped in love.
Unfortunately, Christians today are often characterized in the opposite. We’re often described as self-righteous and hypocritical — those who pass stinging judgement on others who don’t think like us.
As sinners who have been redeemed by the grace of Christ, let’s live by his beautiful example. Let’s never be afraid to share the truth of God’s word. And let’s deliver that truth with nothing less than the love of Christ.
Incidentally, the car was worse than we thought. But the mechanic was honest and kind. He took care of our needs. And when we were visibly stressed by his assessment — knowing it was going to cost money we didn’t have and bring inconvenience — he talked us through it and helped us understand that the fix was important to keep the car going and keep us safe.
In the end, we didn’t regret the decision. The car was fixed and we were ready to go. And without fail, I called on him every time I heard a rattle, clunk, or wump wump wump.