JESUS THE MASTER COMMUNICATOR

“…The large crowd listened to him with great delight.” – Mark 12:37.

When we read about Jesus in the New Testament, we tend to view Him through the lens of Savior and Lord, the long-awaited Messiah. And rightly so. But how often do we view Him as the master communicator? The Bible uses many words to describe God’s communication skills. He answers, asks, assures, calls, commands, directs, explains, instructs, mentions, orders, promises, responds, reveals, etc.

Jesus is the master of communication. He also was the greatest evangelist of all time. He modeled how to engage people with the message of the gospel. His style is assertive, honest, humble, transparent, and direct to the heart of all. The Bible says of Jesus, “…The large crowd listened to him with great delight” (Mark 12:37).

Jesus carefully and sensitively crafted His communication to accommodate the nature and life situation of the people with whom He talked. Jesus knew people. John says, “But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.” (John 2:24-25). Jesus knew people’s life situation, their internal and external factors, and the forces that shaped them. He used this knowledge of people to communicate effectively.

The Gospels give us several instances of large crowds who followed Jesus into remote areas to hear Him. We read of Zaccheus climbing a tree and a paralyzed man going through the roof because of the crowds of people attracted to Jesus. That is because He spoke about the things in life that mattered – about God and how to know Him. Jesus did not just talk to crowds, however. In many cases, He had personal, one-on-one conversations that engaged the other person(s).

We can learn much from Jesus on how we communicate with others. A starting point for Christians who want to communicate more effectively is to consider how our conversations reflect the love of Christ. When others hear us communicating or conversing, are they seeing and hearing Jesus?

Paul says in Colossians 4:5-6 “Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.”

It is our job, as Christians, especially Christian leaders, to set an example in how we communicate. This takes practice… it usually does not come naturally to us. The first place we should look to learn how to communicate more effectively is by looking at Jesus and emulating His approach.

Discussion Questions:

1. We should follow Jesus’ examples of how he spoke to others, and how he interacted and communicated with others while He was here on earth. How do we do that?
2. How Christ-like is your communication? Are you able to patiently lead others to answers? Do you feel the need to speak up, or are you able to stay silent sometimes?