"Standing up
to criticism"
Message preached May 20,
2001
Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Glen Arm, Maryland USA
based upon Acts
11:1-18
Order
of Worship
I can be one stubborn character, you know. Just ask my family - they’ll
tell you. I pray that with the advance of years has come (and will further come)
a "mellowing," an ability to back up and see the bigger picture of a
situation about which I feel strongly. There have been days, especially when I
was younger, that criticism could evoke a very stubborn response in me. Perhaps
you can relate to that.
What is it about criticism that is so threatening? Of course, there is good,
constructive criticism, and then there is the destructive variety. Early on in
life it isn’t easy to figure out which is which. Maybe that’s why we tend to
approach all criticism with the same response, whether with stubborn, defensive
pride or with a "I must be a terrible, awful, horrible person" kind of
reaction - beating ourselves up. Sometimes we begin with the one but, once we
cool down (or get hotter under the collar) we end up with the other. I know that’s
been true for me. How about you?
Granted, there is intentionally destructive criticism out there, from folks
whose purpose is not to build us up in the long run, but rather to tear us down.
Sometimes there is an underlying harmful edge even to the good criticism, as
those who offer it can be blind to their own inner motivations. That’s why
Jesus encouraged us to examine the log in our own eye before speaking about the
speck in our neighbor’s (Matthew
7:1-5, Luke
6:39-42).
However, there is also good criticism, offered by those who care about us. I
recall, early on in my ministry, crafting a series of children’s stories that
revolved around a wolf calling forth various animals, one at a time, to follow
him as disciples. Eventually there were to be 12 animals around this main
character who, to our adult ears, sounds like Jesus, right? The only problem was
that I approached this series as an adult, not a child. You see, children are
very literal. Symbolism is often lost upon them.
Well, there was this farmer in that congregation, Veloris Neff, a fellow
about my father’s age, whom I deeply respected. After church one Sunday he
spoke his concern about what the children were getting out of my stories. Even
he was having a hard time understanding what I was trying to get across. This
was good, healthy criticism, offered in a salt-of-the-earth way. I learned a
great deal from it, let me tell you. I confess, however, that I was devastated
by it at the time. I looked up to this man so much, respecting his integrity,
that I felt crushed. It wasn’t a stubborn response I had then. No, I
immediately pulled the plug on the series, probably leaving some parents and
children wondering why. My "I’m a terrible, awful, horrible person"
reaction was not right, either, was it? But we grow from such experiences, don’t
we?
Life is full of criticism, good and bad. How we deal with it is a measure of
our maturity, how we are growing into the persons we were created to be. Now,
part of my reason for talking about this today, following yet another baptism in
what has become a "season" of fresh starts in this congregation, is
because every new venture brings forth criticism, both good and bad.
On the one hand are those for whom new beginnings are threatening. Not
everyone understands, for instance, why a person’s life changes. "So, you’re
following Jesus now. What does that mean for ‘us?’ Are you going to be a ‘goody-two-shoes’
kind of "prude" now? You’re never going to keep up with this, you
know. You try the latest fad, but it never lasts long. It’s still the same
person in there, just different clothes on the outside." ... After a person
takes a new step of faith, many are the voices that speak out against it.
Sometimes this criticism is very subtle, but it can still wear away at our
ability to walk with Christ.
Now, not all criticism is destructive. The critique of others is very
important for our growth as disciples. After all, the word "disciple"
is connected to the word "discipline." Discipline is not, as we so
easily think, punishment. Rather, discipline is what sharpens the metal of our
character, it is what helps us grow. Discipline, at its best, is critique
offered up in such a way that we are empowered to change from within, that it is
our own "will" that grows into the likeness of the One of whom we seek
to be a disciple - Jesus Christ. Discipline is for building up, not tearing
down. It’s how we grow best. Criticism is not necessarily a bad word. The best
criticism, however, is motivated by Christ-like love. Again, the log our own eye
versus the speck in another’s is like a divining rod in discerning good
criticism from bad. After all, Jesus didn’t say "don’t speak the
truth." No, as the apostle Paul once wrote, we are to "speak the
truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15), fully
aware of our own motivations.
Allow me now to turn, just now, to the disciple Peter, and some times of
criticism he faced. The first I want to recall is from what was, perhaps, his
lowest moment. Jesus had been arrested and beaten and brought before the
religious and civil authorities. Peter followed as best he could, trying to
remain inconspicuous, but an annoying voice kept speaking up asking if he wasn’t
connected to this Jesus guy. He was afraid, and so he denied it - three times.
And then the rooster spoke up, and the earlier critique of Jesus nearly blew
Peter away. (Luke
22:54-62)
You see, earlier that night Jesus spoke with his disciples about what soon
was to happen, and he predicted that they would all desert him. Peter, however,
didn’t buy this. "Though all become deserters because of you, I will
never desert you," he said. With words that later would sting, Jesus
replied, "Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you
will deny me three times." Again, stubborn Peter said, "Even
though I must die with you, I will not deny you" (Matthew
26:30-35, see parallels - Mark
14:26-31, John
13:36-38, also Luke
22:61). We hear in this the echo of an earlier critique, when Peter
stubbornly rebuked Jesus for talking about being crucified. "Get behind
me, Satan!" Jesus then told Peter. "For you are setting your
mind not on divine things but on human things" (Mark
8:31-38, Matthew
8:21-26).
Peter grew from those words, as hard as they may have been to swallow. As a
leader of the church that later sprouted from the watering of the Holy Spirit,
Peter still faced critique. The 10th chapter of Acts (10:1-48)
shares the wonderful story of the 
Lord
discipling Peter once again, this time in a dream. You see, Peter and the rest
of the church were focused upon a mission which God sought to widden. Their
vision was to spread the good news of Jesus only among those who had been
circumcised, the Jews. Peter and the others could not yet conceive the
possibility that Gentiles (non-Jews) might be part of God’s plan. Those who
were not connected to the covenant, who did not follow the law of Moses, were
seen as lost already in the grime of the world. Contact with Gentiles could only
spread their "unclean" nature like a fungus. God, however, saw things
differently.
In a dream, Peter envisioned a feast spread before him, full of all sorts of
food he knew he should not eat, for it was "unclean," forbidden by the
Torah, the law. "Stand up, Peter," a voice said, "eat."
Like before, stubborn Peter resisted. "By no means, Lord, for I have
never eaten anything that is profane or unclean" (10:14).
The voice in the dream then said, "What God has made clean, you must not
call profane" (10:15b).
This interchange happened not once, not twice, but three times. Do you hear an
echo of that rooster crowing?
The difference between that horrible nightmare on the night Jesus was
arrested, and this daydream, is that this time Peter did
not run away from criticism. He learned from it. When the dream ended, and the
doorbell rang, Peter was ready to step out into a new day. He went with the
messengers of Cornelius, who had come searching for him, and discovered God
already at work in the household of this Roman soldier, a Gentile. All Peter had
to do was speak from the heart about his Lord and, it says, "the Holy
Spirit fell upon those who heard" (10:44, 11:15).
What happened in Jerusalem on Pentecost occurred again, this time among
Gentiles. And Peter could not help but baptize them, drawing them into the
covenant. (for more on this episode in Acts, see "Catch up Faith")
Of course, when Peter returned to Jerusalem, you better believe he faced into
some strong criticism for what he had done. Perhaps some of the words spoken to
him then were seeking him harm, to pull him down as a leader. Some people just
do that so naturally. But others were, no doubt, very sincere in their
objections. They wanted to do right by God. Is it wrong to question what doesn’t
seem right? No. Any new beginning will encounter criticism, constructive or
destructive. Sorting out which is which is not easy. All we each can do in the
face of criticism, good or bad, is to do as Peter did.
And what did he do? He didn’t run away. He didn’t belittle himself,
questioning whether he was indeed a "a terrible, awful, horrible
person" for having done what he did. Neither did he stubbornly punch back
at those who criticized him, as if "how dare you question me!" No, he
merely stood up and spoke the truth as he understood it. He shared
his story, as honestly as he could, empowered (I believe) by the Holy Spirit. As
we’ve said before, this Spirit is spoken of as a "comforter" who
comes into our lives "with" (com)
"fortification," strengthening us with the Godly vitamins we need to
stand tall, and say and do what God desires.
What happened after Peter shared his story, again from the heart? Well, at
first everyone was quiet - taking in this change. Then silence gave way to song,
and they praised God, rejoicing that "God has given even to the Gentiles
the repentance that leads to life" (11:18).
I encourage you, next time you encounter criticism (good or bad), not to run
away or beat yourself up, nor to allow your pride to throw up defensive walls of
protection. Instead, do as Peter did. Stand up in the face of criticism and
simply speak what you know to be true, empowered by God’s gracious Spirit.
Now, if you’ve never opened your life to Christ and the power of the Holy
Spirit, or if you are at a point where you are ready to more fully rely upon his
strength, and wish to step forth in a fresh start of faith with Jesus, then
stand up and come forward... For all of us, now, let’s stand and sing.
©2001 Peter
L. Haynes
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