DO YOU HAVE"THE MIND OF CHRIST?"

Considerate of Others

Jesus was considerate. He was sensitive to the feelings of others. The mere sight of the afflicted touched him so deeply that he was moved to relieve their suffering. (Matthew 14:14) He was also considerate of the limitations and needs of others. (John 16:12) Once, people brought him a blind man and begged Jesus to heal him. Jesus restored the man's sight, but he did so gradually. At first, the man saw individuals only indistinctly-"what seemed to be trees, but they are walking about." Then, Jesus restored his vision completely. Why did he heal the man gradually? This may well have been in order to enable one so used to being in darkness to adjust to the shock of suddenly seeing a sunlit and complex world. -Mark 8:22-26.

Consider also an incident that took place after the Passover of 32 C.E. Jesus and his disciples had entered the region of the Decapolis, east of the Sea of Galilee. There, great crowds soon found them and brought to Jesus many who were sick and disabled, and he cured them all. (Matthew 15:29, 30) Interestingly, Jesus singled out one man for special consideration. The Gospel writer Mark,the only one to record this incident, reports what happened. -Mark 7:31-35.

The man was deaf and hardly able to talk. Jesus may have sensed this man's particular nervousness or embarrassment. Jesus then did something a bit unusual. He took the man aside, away from the crowd, to a private place. Then Jesus used some signs to convey to the man what he was about to do. He "put his finger into the man's ears and, after spitting, he touched his tongue." (Mark 7:33) Next, Jesus looked up to heaven and uttered a prayerful sigh. These demonstrative actions would say to the man,'What I am about to do for you is due to the power from God.' Finally, Jesus said: "Be opened." (Mark 7:34) At that, the man's hearing was restored, and he was able to speak normally.

What consideration Jesus showed for others! He was sensitive to their feelings,and this sympathetic regard, in turn , moved him to act in ways that spared their feelings. As Christians, we do well to cultivate and demonstrate the mind of Christ in this regard. The Bible admonishes us: "All of you be like-minded, showing fellow feeling, having brotherly affection, tenderly compassionate, humble in mind." (1 Peter 3:8) This certainly calls for us to speak and act in ways that take the feelings of others into consideration.

In the congregation, we can show the consideration for the feelings of others by according them dignity, treating them as we would like to be treated. (Matthew 7:12) That would include being careful about what we say as well as how we say it. (Colossians 4:6) Remember that 'thoughtless words can stab like a sword.' (Proverbs 12:18) What about in the family? A husband and wife who truly love each other are sensitive to each other's feelings. (Ephesians 5:33) They avoid harsh words, unrelenting criticism, and bitter sarcasm-all of which can causes hurt feeling that are not easily healed. Children too have feelings, and loving parents take these feelings into consideration. When correction is needed, such parents give it in ways that respect the dignity of their children and spare them needless embarrassment. (Colossians 3:21) When we thus demonstrate consideration for others, we show that we have the mind of Christ.

Next time: Willing to Trust Others

Watchtower, 2000