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The Perfect Patience of Christ
1 Timothy 1:17
Paul’s past as a persecutor of Christians is shocking. When we are first introduced to Paul, he is presiding over the unjust execution of a man who was described as being full of grace and power (Acts 6:8, 7:58). Paul terrorized believers in Jerusalem. He separated families. He put men and women in jail. There were no limits to what this man would do to stamp out those who believed Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah.
Paul had helped the authorities in Jerusalem to expel believers in Christ from the city. However, Paul was not satisfied by the expulsion. He hunted down the believers. One day, Paul and his soldiers traveled to Damascus. They had been given legal authority to imprison any believers they might find. As they were traveling, Paul had a terrifying confrontation.
The resurrected Lord appeared to Paul as a blinding light: “And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do" (Act 9:4-
There probably was not a day that went by that Paul did not think back to his encounter with the resurrected Lord. Why didn’t the Lord obliterate Paul? Without question, he was deserving of death. Paul must have wondered about this frequently. In this letter, Paul gives an answer: “I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life” (1 Tim. 1:16).
QUESTIONS
1. Define patience.
2. Give Biblical examples of the patience of Jesus.
3. How is Jesus patient with us today?
4. How should the perfect patience of Jesus shape our patience with others?
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