Communicating As Jesus Did

Do you sometimes shake your head at how we speak with each other, especially as people of God? Sometimes we don’t realize the impact of our words on others, good or bad.

Jesus was a master at making people feel listened to, understood, affirmed and cared for. He was convincing and persuasive in his encounters, using a method of teaching called the Socratic Method after the Atheneum philosopher, Socrates, who lived four centuries earlier. Jesus used questons to expose false assumptions, questions to penetrate denial, questions to illuminate new ideas, and to stimulate thought. He moved hearts and minds as he convinced and persuaded others, asking questions, being probative, forcing people to think for themselves. His rhetorical questions made answers stand out with clarity. Confrontational questions that forced people to get off the fence and choose sides.

Perhaps the most connective question He asked was the one addressed to the Samaritan woman at the well. Something wonderful happened when He asked her to do Him a favor when he was tired and thirsty.

Diane Fausel