“The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.”
Once you exclude the duplications of Jesus’ speeches in the four gospels, the total number of recorded words spoken by Jesus is 31,426. By comparison Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage has almost twice that at 55,000 words. The point is from birth to resurrection we have a lot of Jesus words.
The overwhelming majority of Jesus words were instructive and encouraging. Sure there were some pointed comments, and for the aggressive people in your life, His clearing of the temple is a favorite. Those words were actually to show His protective heart for those being bullied and ripped off. Within the last 2 hours I have heard from 3 different people, a parent, the head of a college think tank and a settled 88-year-old man. All of them are being attacked, mostly by life, and desperately need a word of kindness and encouragement in their journey. The first recorded words after Jesus birth are recorded as, “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10). Here are a few other examples of Jesus first and last words. Jesus’ first recorded words on the Cross were, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Jesus’ last words to the Apostle John in the Revelation were,“Surely I am coming quickly.” Jesus’ last recorded words on the Cross were, “It is finished!” As with everything that came out of Jesus mouth these are very powerful words. Their impact continues to this very day. Today speak life, blessing, and truth. #BeTheEdge
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6 NIV
