The power of life AND the power of death is in our tongues. We have the power to speak life over our lives and those that we interact with daily. 

Do your words bring life into the world?

Or do they bring death?

Communication is like a double-edged sword. Our words and actions hold great power, but people can also misinterpret them easily. Likewise, communication can be challenging for many of us. Nonetheless, the ability to communicate well is an essential component of our obligation as followers and leaders. And if we wish to live as Jesus lived, we must also learn how He communicated.

As I have studied the gospels and the life of Christ, I have identified three big things we can learn from the way Jesus communicated. He is our example and as a follower of Him, we can learn how He spoke life so that we can bring life into the world.

We cannot be Jesus, but we can be like Jesus. And with the gift of the Holy Spirit, we have the wisdom, the teacher, and the helper so that we can use the model of the life of Jesus in our lives.

Let’s learn from the attitude He had, the audiences He interacted with, and the authority that He used.

His Attitude

Jesus adopted an attitude of love and compassion even when He was speaking a strong message. Love involves empathy and compassion, but it’s also correcting people when needed. Jesus showed love in all communications because He was focused and intentional. He did not use frivolous or unnecessary words. 

We will often be unfocused and babble by using too many words. Communicating with love is being focused and intentional toward the person we are interacting with.

We can ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with love and compassion so that we can communicate clearly and succinctly.

His Audiences

We can place the audiences that Jesus interacted with into three categories.

First, He interacted with the sheep as a shepherd whose role was to lead and guide.

Second, He interacted with the wolves — the Pharisees and hypocrites — and protected the sheep against them. Today there are still many wolves in religion, politics and other areas.

The third group Jesus interacted with was His disciples. His role was to teach, educate, and encourage — to duplicate Himself.

When I think of how He communicated with His sheep, the encounter with the woman at the well is my favorite example. He disregarded cultural and racial barriers of the time because as a Jew He was prohibited from interacting with Samaritans. The world needs more of the “woman at the well” language, filled with love, compassion, and disregarding the superficial barriers that have been built between people.

Jesus was not one to back down or avoid confrontation. His interactions with the Pharisees, the hypocrites, and the wolves were direct and focused but still showed love for both the sheep and the wolves. He would often use stories or parables to soften the harsh message that addressed the contradictions of the hypocrites. The parables drew listeners in so that He could make His point.

We can learn to be storytellers to get our message across to those that may not be willing to listen or open-minded to our point of view.

Many often confuse the “woman at the well” language and wolf language. We often use wolf language with the sheep, sometimes to take advantage of them. And when we need to be firm and direct with the wolves, there are times that we are too meek and use “woman at the well” communication techniques.

With His disciples, Jesus used soft and gentle language similar to the woman at the well. But there were also times when He had to be firm with them. The key point that I gather from Jesus' interactions with His disciples is that He spent time with them. He did not seem hurried or impatient.

He spoke. He listened. He shared. He taught. He listened some more. He encouraged. He would scold from time to time. All of this took time and we can only imagine what it would be like to walk for 5-10 miles with Jesus as He and the disciples traveled. 

Our prayer should be to discern who we are speaking to or communicating with so that we can know what type of language to model and when time and patience are required. 

His Authority

Most of us have thought or verbalized, “Just do as I say.” Especially if we are a parent or have a title that carries authority in the world system. Jesus, the only one who really has this kind of power and authority never called on His authority or title. He would often say that He only did and said what His Heavenly Father told Him to do and say. 

If Jesus took the time to pause and listen before He spoke, we should learn from His example. Rarely should we respond quickly. Take the time to pause, reflect, and take a breath to seek what God wants us to do.

There is power in stillness and quiet. It will allow us to understand our authority so that we can become better communicators. It will also protect us from quick and harsh responses that are void of love and compassion.

When we can, we should pause during communications and ask for patience and guidance to say what our Father wants us to say.

We are followers of Christ. And as His followers, we should desire to show His love to others in all that we do. Communicating like Jesus is a powerful action that can show His love.

My wife and I are honored to be partners with A Transforming Word Ministries. If you have not given a gift or partnered, please consider joining us in supporting this ministry that equips people to transform and follow in the footsteps of Jesus.