137. Jesus and Conflict: The sinful woman anoints Jesus’ feet
Positive listening and comparative criticism are two strategies that Jesus teaches mediators.
Positive listening and comparative criticism are two strategies that Jesus teaches mediators.
Jesus teaches us to avoid inciting people into action if we cannot support them when challenges arise from that action.
Jesus teaches us to know the non-negotiable areas in our lives and to evaluate if the so-called non-negotiable areas are worthy of being considered such.
Love and mercy should not undermine justice if we want lasting peace.
Understanding that God can use anyone is important in avoiding or managing conflicts. Our jealousy, envy or anger will not take away a God-given gift to a person or make it ours.
Familiarity breeding contempt is a fact of life that cannot be wished or prayed away
Jesus ensured his response did not attempt to favour a party in place of the other by creating a win-win situation.
If Jesus had consented that the woman should be stoned to death, it would have conflicted with his teaching on love, mercy, and forgiveness, and he would have lost his reputation as a friend of sinners.
Jesus showed us another way of avoiding conflict with the ignorant – hold onto your knowledge and play along with them.
Often, ignorance or poor understanding of the law causes conflict because the implementation of a law by an authority could be misjudged as victimisation, and another party’s interpretation of a law could be misconstrued as discrimination.