Jesus not only lived among those he served, he truly interacted with them at a personal level. He treated people as individuals and engaged in conversations with them around issues that mattered to them. Here are some of the observations I made as I read the gospels with an eye toward how Jesus engaged with others:
- Jesus engaged in spiritual conversations (Matt 22:34-40, John 4:1-42)
- Jesus expressed his emotions honestly (Matt 21:12, Luke 19:41, Mark 6:34, Matt 23:37)
- Jesus loved his friends (John 11:1-44)
- Jesus engaged people where they were at, not where he thought they should be (Matt 9:9).
- Jesus treated different people differently (John 3:1-21, Mark 10:17-23)
- Jesus showed grace and forgiveness (John 8:2-11, Matt 18:21-35)
- Jesus tested hearts for spiritual receptivity (Luke 7:1-10, Matt 15:21-28, John 1:35-39, Luke 14:25-27)
Highlighted teaching: John 17