How should I respond to ridicule? - Ridicule - TouchPoints

Matthew 5:11-12“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.”

We should feel honored and privileged when we are ridiculed for our faith in Christ.

Luke 6:22-23“What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.”

When being ridiculed, we should keep an eternal perspective. We can rejoice when we are insulted for Jesus’ sake because we know that in the end we will be victorious in him.

Nehemiah 4:4Then I prayed, “Hear us, our God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land!”

When being ridiculed, we should pray for the strength not to respond with revenge and that God would bring justice to the situation.

Matthew 27:39-44The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!” The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.

Luke 23:34Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

1 Peter 2:21, 23God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. . . . He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.

Ridicule is an unfair and unfounded put-down of a person to make the mocker appear or feel more important. One of the most difficult ways to respond to a put-down is to lift up the one who ridicules us. Yet this is what God expects us to do.

Lamentations 3:24-31, 61I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline: Let them sit alone in silence beneath the Lord’s demands. Let them lie face down in the dust, for there may be hope at last. Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them and accept the insults of their enemies. For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. . . . Lord, you have heard the vile names they call me. You know all about the plans they have made.

1 Peter 3:8-9All of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.

When being ridiculed for our faith, we should remember that God is aware of all the insults hurled against us. He will comfort us and reward us for the godly way we handle ridicule. God wants us to respond to others sympathetically, lovingly, and humbly. We should return blessing for cursing, praise for ridicule, and healing for hurts. By responding this way, we display God’s love and forgiveness.

Nehemiah 4:1-6Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?” Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!” Then I [Nehemiah] prayed, “Hear us, our God, for we are being mocked. . . .” At last the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city, for the people had worked with enthusiasm.

Our response to being mocked should be renewed prayer and focus on our task. When being ridiculed for the good work we are doing, we should keep working and praying and let the work speak for itself.

Psalm 44:16All we hear are the taunts of our mockers. All we see are our vengeful enemies.

Psalm 119:23Even princes sit and speak against me, but I will meditate on your decrees.

Ecclesiastes 7:21-22Don’t eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant curse you. For you know how often you yourself have cursed others.

Hurtful words and hurtful people can consume our thoughts. Hurtful words can overshadow helpful or joyous words. We must control our thoughts so that we do not give in to the temptation to dwell on the hurtful words. We should ignore the ridicule and thus relieve the pressure to respond.

1 Samuel 10:26-27When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a group of men whose hearts God had touched went with him. But there were some scoundrels who complained, “How can this man save us?” And they scorned him and refused to bring him gifts. But Saul ignored them.

Proverbs 12:16A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.

Proverbs 15:1A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.

Acts 18:6When they opposed and insulted him, Paul shook the dust from his clothes and said, “Your blood is upon your own heads—I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles.”

1 Peter 3:9Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.

At times we should ignore ridicule; at other times we should respond. Our responses should be in truth and love, bathed in prayer, trusting God for the right thoughts and words.

Isaiah 51:7“Listen to me, you who know right from wrong, you who cherish my law in your hearts. Do not be afraid of people’s scorn, nor fear their insults.”

Romans 2:10There will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.

1 Peter 3:14Even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats.

Regardless of how we are treated, we should continue doing right without fear or worry. Right will prevail, if not today, certainly when God judges all people.

2 Chronicles 30:10The runners went from town to town throughout Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as the territory of Zebulun. But most of the people just laughed at the runners and made fun of them.

Ridicule is nothing more than hurtful words designed to cause hurt to another person. Responding to hurtful words with hurtful words of our own does not help, nor is it a godly response. As followers of Jesus, we should always act with love and kindness toward others, no matter how hard that may be. God will reward us for our right behavior.