WORDS.
Have you ever been blasted in the face by a torrent of words? If you watch the news, listen to podcasts, attend rallies, or go to church regularly, you will no doubt hear people speaking their mind. However, “MESSAGE SENT” does not always mean “MESSAGE DELIVERED.”
There are some speakers that use a SPOON. They serve their message to their audience in easily digestible bites, speaking succinctly and clearly. Measuring their thoughts carefully, without the use of a lot of non-words, they understand that words convey MORE when they’re given the opportunity to be savored—when the hearer is allowed TIME to ingest the sense of what they’re saying.
Then there are those speakers who use a 100 mph FIRE HOSE. They have plenty to say, and they think that the louder and faster they talk, the truer the words. Their message is validated by volume—their credibility weighed by word count. “Powerful words issued powerfully convey a MORE powerful, TRUER truth.” So it’s assumed.
But, stop for a moment, and consider: did Jesus ever SHOUT? Or sermonize frantically? Did He ever overwhelm His audience with a flood of words?
We have the purveyors of red ink to thank for allowing the words of Jesus, as recorded in some editions of the New Testament, to be printed in red. Yes, there were times when He spoke His mind, and thus many pages in the Gospels are flooded with crimson. But whenever Jesus faced a difficult situation or crisis, He often kept it brief. We might say that Jesus—the personification of TRUTH—was a man of FEW words.
Consider some of Jesus’ most profound one-liners:
“Go.”
“Come and see.”
“Follow me.”
“Peace, be still.”
“I am he.”
“It is finished.” *
Even when time was of the essence and He stood on trial, Jesus COULD have used His authority to blast His accusers with a powerful verbal defense. Yet, He, who was the AUTHOR of language, was not only succinct—He was silent.
“He who has knowledge spares his words.” (Proverbs 17:27a NKJV)
The ways and words of Jesus don’t require us to explain WHY He said what He did, or didn’t. There’s no question as to His authority. Jesus, the Almighty God in flesh, who calmly voiced, “I AM,” is the same ONE who, in the beginning, created all things from nothing—with simply: “Let there be …”
Early in His ministry, Jesus was speaking in His hometown synagogue. The home folk “all spoke well of him, (admired) the GRACIOUS words that came from his lips …” and “they were (astonished) at his teaching, because his words had AUTHORITY.” (Luke 4:22,32)
Grace and authority.
At the memorial service this past week held for Rev. Paul D. Mooney, it was emphasized again and again that, among his many gifts, he had had an amazing way with words. It wasn’t that he necessarily used MORE words when he preached, but that his words seemed to weigh more. He was famous for his pithy one-liners, from which he would, time and again, build a sermon masterpiece. There’s no doubt that Bro. Mooney intentionally tried to follow the example of Jesus—speaking succinctly with grace and authority.
Jesus’ modus operandi of succinctness illustrates for us a powerful truth: when it comes to words, sometimes LESS is MORE. “Brevity is confidence. Length is fear.” (Smart Brevity, 2022)
In the spirit of brevity, let’s talk a bit more about this next time.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, You taught that when we pray, we shouldn’t “babble on and on like the pagans, who think God will hear them better if they talk a lot.” (Matthew 6:7 CJB). You know before we speak, and You hear every prayer, even those spoken without words. Thank You, LORD!
(Part 1)
- References: Matthew 8:32, John 1:39, Matthew 9:9, Mark 4:39, John 18:5, John 19:30
