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Will they be impressed?
Well, that was a question
that Jesus wanted to answer.
When he took up his assignment on the earth,
he had one goal:
to bring God glory.
Well, what does that mean?
Well, in the Bible, the word “glory”
can refer to anything
that makes someone impressive.
Jesus was never impressed with himself,
but he was impressed with his Father.
He was so moved by his Father’s love,
his largeheartedness,
that he wanted others
to feel the same way he did.
Well, how did he do it?
And what can we learn from him?
Well, the book of Romans spotlights
one way he did this.
If we turn to Romans chapter 15,
we’ll see how Jesus brought glory to God.
At Romans 15:7,
it says:
“So welcome one another,
“just as the Christ also welcomed you,
with glory to God in view.”
Jesus brought glory to God
by the way he welcomed people.
Jesus treated people in a way
that they could perceive Jehovah’s kindness,
his generosity, his merciful ways.
Jehovah was willing to accept
anybody who wanted to draw close to him.
He was willing to accept all sorts of people.
And that’s what the study note
beautifully compares this to.
It says that it’s like
‘receiving someone into his home kindly
or into his circle of friends.’
So Jesus’ welcome made people feel accepted
and closer to Jehovah.
In fact, the Bible says several times
that after interacting with Jesus,
people went away “glorifying God.”
In other words, they went away
impressed by Jehovah.
So, what did Jesus’ welcome look like?
Let’s take a look at two accounts
and see what we can learn from them,
so that our way of welcoming people
will leave them impressed by Jehovah.
The first one is found in Mark chapter 10.
I invite you to turn there with me,
Mark chapter 10.
And here’s the backdrop: Jesus is very busy.
He only has a short period of time left
before he dies.
He just finished a very intense discussion
with the Pharisees and his disciples,
and then a seeming inconvenience arises.
Look at verse 13 of Mark chapter 10:
“People now began bringing him young children
“for him to touch them,
but the disciples reprimanded them.”
Or as one translation says:
“[The] disciples told the people
to stop bothering him.”
Now, the disciples weren’t bad men.
They just had a limited understanding
of how Jehovah viewed little ones.
At that time, some people viewed children
as not being important.
They had no status; they had no authority
and seemingly nothing to offer.
But how would Jesus respond
to what he saw his disciples do?
Not with relief.
Verse 14 says that he “was indignant.”
So now to show people
how large-hearted Jehovah is,
notice Jesus’ welcome in verse 16:
“And he took the children into his arms
“and began blessing them,
laying his hands on them.”
What a beautiful account!
Maybe it’s one of your favorites.
We see this amazing scene
where you have children
who were shooed away,
and now they’re being welcomed warmly
by God’s Son.
As one reference says about Jesus:
“He must have smiled easily
and laughed joyously.”
Wouldn’t you want to run to Jesus?
And Jesus, even though
with the very limited time he had left
right before a major deadline,
was warm, and he was unhurried.
He made these little ones feel blessed
and important to Jehovah.
And then think about the impact
that this must have had on the children.
If they grew up to serve Jehovah faithfully,
they are likely
in Jehovah’s circle of friends in heaven,
ready to make Jehovah more impressive to us
at Armageddon.
Well, what’s the lesson?
After Gilead, life will be busy,
similar to what Jesus experienced
—filled with responsibilities,
filled with many pressures.
And in the middle of it all,
people will appear,
some who might feel like they’re little ones.
Maybe they don’t feel like they’re important.
They weren’t trained at Gilead or SKE,
and maybe they’re just quietly wondering
if they have a place in Jehovah’s home.
In those moments,
we have the opportunity
to leave them impressed by Jehovah,
giving them a Jesus-like welcome.
A warm smile and an unhurried interchange
can reassure them that they do have a place
in Jehovah’s circle of friends,
that they are important to Jehovah.
Did you feel like a little one at Gilead?
And did someone reassure you
that your invitation was not a mistake?
And did you thank Jehovah
for that encouragement?
Well, that’s the power
of a Jesus-like welcome.
Here’s our second account.
If we turn to Luke chapter 23,
here we find Jesus in his final trial.
He’s not surrounded by children
but by two criminals impaled next to him
who join in bullying him.
They even speak abusively to Jesus.
Then something remarkable happens
at Luke 23:42.
One of the criminals
has a change of heart and says this:
“Jesus, remember me
when you get into your Kingdom.”
It’s quite the situation, isn’t it?
Jesus literally has the weight of the world
on his shoulders.
And if anyone had reason to remain silent
and close his door, as it were, and hang
a “Do Not Disturb” sign in order to focus,
it was probably Jesus.
But what would leave this man
impressed by Jehovah?
A welcome that looked like this
at the end of verse 43.
He said:
“You will be with me in Paradise.”
What a beautiful response!
Who would have guessed?
Now, Jesus didn’t just say: “Don’t worry.
You’ll be in Paradise.”
But Jesus said:
“You will be with me in Paradise.”
Jesus made a personal promise to this man
that he would not forget him
and that he would welcome him
into Jehovah’s circle of friends on earth.
Now, Jesus’ words
did not change the man’s circumstances,
but they changed his spirit.
His legs would be broken but not his heart.
He would die but live again in Paradise.
Well, what’s the lesson?
After Gilead,
personal trials will not vanish.
In fact, in some cases,
they may even increase
because of moving to a new country,
learning a new language,
learning a new assignment.
Illness may even strike us or a loved one.
And just like Jesus experienced,
in the middle of our own trials,
people will appear
with their own struggles.
And some of them
may feel like they’re forgettable
or already forgotten.
Maybe they’re ashamed of their past,
or maybe they’re battling with a weakness
that tortures them emotionally.
In those moments, we have the opportunity
to leave them impressed by Jehovah.
We can reassure them by what we say,
our thoughtful words, that they’re not alone.
But we too are suffering alongside with them,
and Jehovah has not forgotten us.
Now, our words
may not change their circumstances,
but they can change their spirit,
restoring their confidence
that they do have a place
in Jehovah’s circle of friends.
Well, two beautiful accounts
of how Jesus brought glory to God
—now, it’s obvious we’re not Jesus.
We’re far from being like him,
so we won’t be able to always
welcome people the way we’d hope to.
But we can copy Jesus’ goal:
to treat people in a way
that brings Jehovah glory.
Whether busy or under trial,
no matter who they were
—from a little one to a man
who just wanted to be remembered
and everyone else in between—
Jesus treated people in a way
that left them impressed by Jehovah.
Well, to sum it up,
one translation of Romans 15:7 says this:
“So reach out
“and welcome one another to God’s glory.
Jesus did it; now you do it!”

David DeGuzman: Will They Be Impressed?—159th Gilead Graduation