Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me (Luke 8:46; NLT).
Introduction
Jesus was fully self-aware. For example, he could identify the difference between the times when he gave healing or absolution to others, and the times when people took from him without his volition. He also had boundaries, knew when they were being crossed, and believed in dealing with challenging situations immediately and directly.
Christ had three basic ways of expressing his gut feelings:
1. Through his behaviour
Always in touch with his gut feelings, Jesus was able to express them through his behaviour. Thus, we see him experience and express many emotions, including joy, anger, grief and anguish.
2. Through his words
Being aware of his emotions enabled Jesus to identify when, and how, he needed to speak out directly to other people. He did not suppress, ignore, or override his emotions, nor did he pretend they did not exist, or fake something different. Rather, the Gospels report that he readily verbalised his feelings of frustration, irritation, impatience, sadness and dread directly to those concerned.
3. Through authentic prayer
Jesus also expressed his feelings directly to God in prayer. This would have happened during his constant daily communion with God, as well as in his regular times of solitary prayer. We see this, for example, at Gethsemane, and as he hung on the cross.
Honest self-expression and mental health
Dealing with his feelings directly in these ways prevented unexpressed emotions, unaddressed problems and hidden resentments from building up over time. Instead, Jesus fully lived his gut feelings, and used them to guide his behaviour, speech and prayers. This helped him to maintain his absolute honesty and directness with others, his personal authenticity, and his mental health, despite the tremendous pressures and stresses he constantly faced.
Conclusion
Christ is our model for how to live healthily, and, as far as humanly possible, without sin. As we have seen, he was always in touch with his emotions, and was able to express them appropriately. He was scrupulously honest and absolutely direct in all his communication with others. He often confronted people, yet was never unfair. He had very clear boundaries, and knew when he was giving, and when others were taking from him. Above all, Jesus used his self-awareness and gut feelings to help him deal with every situation in such a way as to bring about positive results for others, as well as for himself.
Developing our own skills in self-awareness, self-assertion and direct communication is essential if we, too, are to maintain healthy relationships with ourselves, with others, and with God. Unless we learn to live authentically, we cannot hope to achieve the inner peace of body, mind, heart and soul we yearn for. Self-awareness, self-assertion and self-expression are therefore very significant aspects of what it means for us to, “have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16; NLT).
References
A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure. Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace” (Luke 8:43-8; NLT).
At that time Jesus full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children” (Luke 10:21; NIV).
Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you?” (Mark 9:19; NLT).
You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say (Matthew 12:34; NLT).
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me (Matthew 23:37; NLT).
In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” (John 2:14-16; NLT).
Then Jesus wept (John 11:35; NLT).
He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Matthew 26:37-9; NLT).
He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood (Luke 22:44; NLT).
Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Mark 15:34; NLT).
Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray (Mark 1:35; NLT).
He is your example, and you must follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21; NLT).
We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector (Matthew 18:15-17; NLT).
