Jesus Wasn't Nice

“Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’ But He answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.’”
— Matthew 15:25-26

Hang in here with me on this one. Let me be clear: Jesus was kind, loving, compassionate and passionate, but He wasn’t nice. Neither should we be nice. Let me explain.

From my earliest memories, I have been encouraged to be nice. At home. In Sunday School. At public schools. And in life. I think most mom’s would take it as a badge of honor if their children were considered to be nice. Unfortunately, or fortunately, my mother was not among those who could claim that “honor.” I was a lot of things, but nice wasn’t one of them. I ruffled feathers a lot. However, I always wrongly felt shame from this. I knew what people meant, and it was with good intentions. Yet, words matter and so do subtle differences when standing by your values.

Nice by definition means simply “to go along to get along.” If you look it up in the dictionary it will say something along the lines of “pleasant, enjoyable, satisfactory.” Who wouldn’t want that? However, originally “nice” comes from the Latin word nescius, meaning “ignorant” or “unaware” and originally meant “foolish” or “stupid”. Over time it changed in meaning to refer to someone who was dressed well, then to someone who simply went along to get along with whatever was happening. Eventually, it became a social positive when it originally began as a social negative.

Someone who is nice never causes a disruption or problem. They go with the flow, live and let live. We were never called to be such a person. Jesus wasn’t nice. You don’t crucify people who are nice, because they would go along with whatever you wanted.

Jesus regularly called out the religious leaders of the day saying things like, “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33) Not nice!

He drove the money changers out of the temple with a whip (Matthew 21:12-17). Not nice!

He also met a Gentile woman who worshiped Him and begged for Him to heal her daughter. To which He responded, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” (Matthew 15:26) Not nice! He basically called this woman a dog and her child a little dog. Why? His ministry was to the children of Israel. She was outside of His mission.

However, her response, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table” showed her great faith! Jesus’ kindness, compassion and love responded to this show of faith and He granted her desire. Her child was healed from that “very hour.”

The difference between kindness and niceness is extreme. Niceness will always share with people what they want to hear. It doesn’t ruffle feathers. Kindness always shares the truth. It shares what people need to hear, even if it ruffles some feathers. Kindness cares more about the well-being of the recipient than your own reputation. Jesus was kind, He wasn’t nice.

Does it make a difference? Yes! It makes all the difference. It doesn’t matter if you ruffle feathers or not. It only matters if you are acting out of truth, kindness, love and compassion; or not. It matters whether you are doing it for your own interests; or in the interests of those to whom you are speaking.

Ephesians 4:15 tells us that we are to be “speaking the truth in love.” We are told not to conform to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). We are to be in the world, but not of it (John 17:14-17).

Jesus had a mission to the children of Israel. His apostles had a mission to make disciples and take the message to rest of the world. We each have a personal mission as well. Do you know yours? Have you sought out God’s will and purpose for your life? Or are you constantly being sidetracked by the world with what seems to be nice and proper?

We were called to “stand firm!” (Galatians 5:1) We are to do so by being kind, compassionate and to act in love. We are not called to be nice. We are not to go along just to get along. We might ruffle some feathers, but you are in good company because Jesus wasn’t nice either. The word “nice” is not used in the Bible. Nor is the idea of being nice. The only translations that utilize the word nice do so with its middle meaning speaking to how someone is dressed or looks, not how they act.

We are called to stand firm. We are called to be bold. We are called to be kind. We are called to be compassionate. But we are also called to be the bearers of truth no matter what the consequences. We are called to share truth to the benefit of those we speak to; and God is able to speak that truth through our lives.

Grace demands the acceptance of everyone in every situation. However, grace is not grace without truth shared in love. Without truth, we are simply enabling others (and ourselves) to persist in degradation. Grace is truth and acceptance.

I am challenged to evaluate where in my life I’m trying to be nice so people will like me, instead of being kind, compassionate and bold about the truth. There are many instances of me going along to get along. I’m challenged this week to stand firm! Be bold! And focus on sharing grace: truth with compassion, acceptance and kindness. How about you?

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

That's Terrible! You've Gotta Try It!

“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
— James 1:14-15

As a teenager, we took a family vacation to the Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. I remember three things about the visit. First, Coca-Cola was originally made utilizing coca leaves for flavoring which allowed for the probability of cocaine being in the product until 1903. Second, Asa Candler, who bought the recipe for Coca-Cola for $238.98, ended every sales meeting with the song “Onward Christian Soldiers” as they marched out to work. And third, the expression, “Ugggh! That’s Terrible! You’ve Gotta Try it!”

One of the central displays in the museum was a tasting room. You could grab little cups and take a sample of products from around the world. As a teenager, this was gold. Unrestrained access to caffeine. All was well right up until someone tasted a beverage from another part of the world that was not meant for the American palette. They loudly exclaimed, “Ugggh! That’s terrible! You’ve gotta try it!” The response; everyone in the room had to try it. Much to the same conclusion.

There is something about human nature. We have a need to “experience” what others do, both good and ill. You might think this is just a childish attribute, but it is not. It is human. Just this past week, my wife and I were at a football homecoming parade. Complete with bands, floats, horses and candy galore. My grandkids talked my wife into trying a sour candy just to see her reaction. Her response? Find another one and force me to try it too.

Human nature is such that we want to experience everything; and when it goes badly, we tend to want others to experience it too. Or at least be around others who have experienced it. Why? It comes from the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the “knowledge of good and evil.” We desire knowledge. We desire experience.

But our conscience is there to guide us, right? What is a conscience? By definition it means “with knowledge.” God didn’t create us with a conscience. We chose that for ourselves by desiring the knowledge of good and evil. Our conscience is malleable. What was unconscionable 20 years ago is the status quo today. It changes with the times.

However, God’s word does not change. It is as true now as at any point in human history. Which is why our verse today warns us, “…each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” Nothing could be more relevant in our culture today. We have a whole generation (and I would argue, generations) who value an “experience” over all. They save, plan and pull out all the stops to have an experience.

There is nothing wrong with an experience. The problem comes when we feel we need to experience ALL things to accurately evaluate what is “good and evil.” You don’t have to experience anything that is contrary to God’s word to know it is evil.

Far too often we want to hear and communicate with people who have gone through what we’ve gone through because they understand us. We parade people across the church platform that have done everything wrong under the sun and found salvation and regeneration. I praise God for them, but why are we so interested in them? I would much rather hear from a person who was tempted as I have been tempted but withstood the temptation in faith. I want to hear from the person who has walked the straight and narrow where I fell into the gutters. That is person I want to learn from and hear.

Yet, we are addicted to experiences we believe to be unique, counter-cultural, rebellious, on the fringe and bold.

As Earnest Shackleton’s supposed famous ad to recruit men for the doomed Antarctic expedition stated, “MEN WANTED for hazard journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success.” In accordance with the legend, more than 5,000 men—and “three spotty girls”—applied for the chance to join him. The fact that this legend persists without question enforces the true desires of our heart to experience something, anything that makes us stand out at all costs.

However, the problem is we are looking for an experience in the wrong place: the world. The greatest experience in all of creation is available to us in this moment. A divine experience. Supernatural. And trust me, it is unique, counter-cultural, rebellious, on the fringe, bold and the greatest experience you can have as a human. It is a relationship with Christ. The living Lord. The creator of everything that exists!

This greatest experience of all eternity is not a walk among rainbows and flowers down happiness lane. It is fraught with danger, uneasiness, challenges and is only navigable by the boldest of heart. It can feel terrible at times. However, it is also a path filled with joy, love, acceptance and a divine relationship. It is a path you will never have to walk alone.

God gave us the desire to experience that which is greater than ourselves. He did so in the hope we would seek Him. If we seek that experience in anything other than Him, it will lead to sin and death. However, when we seek it in Him, there is nothing more glorious you could possibly experience.

My challenge this week is to evaluate what experiences I’m longing for? To prayerfully consider what is the root desire of those experiences? Then, rather than try to find fulfillment in the world, turn to Christ and ask Him to meet those desires in my life. No greater experience exists than being a child of God, a joint heir with Christ, His beloved and favorite child!

So, if I need to push you and challenge you to give it a go, in a way that often motivates most people: It’s terrible! You’ve gotta try it!

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Lincoln's Corpse

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
— John 10:10

“In the fall of 1876, just 11 years after his assassination, there was a plot to steal President Lincoln’s remains from Oak Ridge Cemetery and hold them ransom in the Indiana Dunes.” — National Park Service, Department of the Interior, United States of America

Election Day, November 7, 1876. Three men (Jack Hughes, Terrence Mullen and Lewis Swegles) enter Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois under the cover of election chaos to steal President Abraham Lincoln’s body. Little did the others know that Lewis Swegles was an confidential informant of the Secret Service. However, the Secret Service was not there because of Presidential security. They were tasked, at this point in history, with the security of the Treasury Department and were on the trail of a counterfeit plot undermining currency in the United States.

In October 1876, a prominent engraver for Chicago counterfeiters named Benjamin Boyd was jailed at the nearby Joliet penitentiary. This threatened the operations of Irish-American crime boss Jame "Big Jim" Kinealy. In turn, he recruited Jack and Terrence for a plot to steal the body of Abraham Lincoln. They were to steal it, transport it 200 miles to the Indiana Dunes and hide it. At which point, a ransom call would be made for $200,000 and the pardon of Benjamin Boyd.

Jack and Terrence couldn’t keep their mouths shut at the saloon. Swegles joined the team shortly after and alerted the Secret Service who were working with the Pinkerton’s Detective Agency to stake out the tomb. The criminals successfully broke into the tomb, moved the coffin and then sent Swegles out to get the wagon. Spooked in the downtime, Jack and Terrence fled the scene. They were arrested 10 days later in the same saloon where they spilled the beans in the beginning.

The authorities were unable to prosecute Jack and Terrence on charges of stealing a corpse, as there was no 1876 law against it in Illinois. Instead, they prosecuted them on the crime of stealing a casket valued at $75. Jack and Terrence were sentenced to 1 year in jail for their crime.

My point to the story, besides I love history, is the low opinion most people will feel towards Jack and Terrence (I used their first names to keep it more personal). The appalling idea of stealing a national hero’s corpse for ransom towards furthering nefarious acts. What were they thinking? Often times, we are no better.

How many times do we try to negotiate, barter, trade with and attempt to hold God at ransom through the death of His Son? We understand the forgiveness that comes through the cross. We appreciate all our sins were in Him on the cross. So, we are tempted to wager with God. I will do “X”, if you will do “Z”. I will give up “A”, if you will give me “B”. Just let this happen and I promise… Look at the good I’ve done, isn’t that worth… Help me, and I will be good. I promise, I’ll never ask for anything else again!

Negotiating with God in this way is no better than stealing Lincoln’s body. You won’t be charged with desecrating His corpse, for no corpse exists. At best, you are wagering on an empty tomb, i.e. a hole in the ground and nothing more.

Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” His death was for the world, but it did not save the world. It is only His life that saves those who believe in Him.

If a man dies of cancer, he has two problems. Cancer and Death. If you cure the cancer, he is still dead. If you bring him back to life, he will just die of cancer again. To save him, you have to cure the cancer AND give him life. The same is true for all of us. We are dead in our sin. We needed a cure for sin: the cross. But we also need LIFE.

You cannot negotiate with God to be “good enough.” You cannot trade with God to find an acceptable path to heaven on your own. Forgiveness is there for all. But, you need life. Not yours. His life.

Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” There is only one trade you can make to receive that gift; you must trade your life for His. No other trade is acceptable.

Everything else is an attempt at theft; no different than the crime boss’s attempt to steal Lincoln’s corpse. It’s just an attempt to keep your own world with God’s forgiveness. It doesn’t work that way. However, God will not condemn you for stealing a meaningless coffin. Neither will He accept anything less than the perfect life of His Son. Forgiveness is essential, but life was the purpose. It is only found in Christ.

My challenge for this week is to evaluate where I’m trying to negotiate with God, rather than doing a divine trade of my complete life for His. He came that we might have life! I pray that I would seek the path of His life over creating a life of my own stealing coffins from the graves of dead men (no matter how great they might be). Salvation is not primarily a sin issue; it is a life issue. I’m not just asking if you believe God forgives. I’m asking: have you found life in Jesus Christ?

If not, I would love to connect with you. Please reach out!

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Postscript: Following this incident, Robert Todd Lincoln had Lincoln's body moved multiple times before being permanently interred in an iron cage under 10 feet of concrete below the burial floor of the Lincoln gravesite at Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois.

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Cracked Pots & Broken Glory

“And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying “my own hand has saved me.”’” — Judges 7:2

Gideon had a problem. The problem was he was too powerful. As a judge of Israel and going against the Midianites, God wanted to make sure the victory was attributed to Him, not their own hand. He chose Gideon; the least in his father’s house from the weakest clan of the tribe of Manasseh (Judges 6:15). Yet, Gideon rallied thousands to his banner.

In response, God deemed he had too many under his command. He put forth a test to narrow down the field of eligible warriors. He brought them to a river to drink. Those who went to their knees were eliminated. Those who “lapped the water like a dog” were accepted. Leaving Gideon with 300 warriors to fight the battle.

This brings up an extremely controversial passage as to the nature of the 300. Many, many Biblical scholars believe that these were the warriors that stood by the river, ready for war, and lifted the water to their mouths to lap like a dog from their palms. The others kneeled in submission and drank. But dogs do not lift water to their mouth with their paws!

I am much more inclined to Josephus’ interpretation that the 300 “valiant” men were those that threw themselves to the ground and put their mouths to the water like a dog. Those that were wholly unprepared for battle. As Josephus states, “…but for all those that drank tumultuously, that he should esteem them to do it out of fear, and as in dread of their enemies.” In other words, the losers!

God’s purpose was to show that He would win the battle! Why then would he choose the elite soldiers of Gideon’s force. He chose the lowest man, in the lowest tribe, with the lowest number of troops, who, in my opinion, were the lowest, and said, “Now! Let’s go fight!”

And fight they did not! Rather, God instructed them to take a trumpet and a torch hidden in a pot. Then, at the command, everyone was to blow the trumpet, break the pots, reveal the torches and utter the battle cry. The Lord then turned the Midianites against themselves. In utter panic, they fought themselves and struck down their fellow soldiers allowing Gideon’s men to chase them in retreat and win the battle and the war.

I find this to be one of the most encouraging stories from Biblical history. The nobodies in mass being on the winning side of a battle simply by being obedient, breaking their pots and letting their light shine.

Make no mistake, if you are in Christ, so shines the Light in your cracked pot! The world might not see it. You might be stalking around in the darkness trying to find your position. You might be the worst of the worst when it comes to spiritual warfare, but the light still shines. It is within you and craving to break forth into victory. Blow the trumpet! Send out the shout! Throw down the cracked pot of your being to be broken before the Lord and the light will shine forth!

Brokenness is simply coming to the point where you are able to say, “I have nothing to offer that is worthy of Your name. I have nothing to give. Nothing to claim. Nothing. I need you Lord!”

The greatest news for us cracked pots is “God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27). And no matter how cracked we are, if we are willing to put ourselves into the hand of the Potter, all will be well. “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make” (Jeremiah 18:4).

While there is much shame that often comes with being a cracked pot, the answer is not some sort of spiritual glue to try and hold things together. The answer is to throw down the clay vessel of our lives at the feet of Jesus. Be completely broken before Him. And to let His light shine in our place. The victory is always His. Not ours.

My struggle for today is what shards of the cracked pot am I trying to hold on to in my arrogance? Am I prepared to throw them down and let the Lord’s light shine in their place? Am I willing to put all my being into the Potter’s hand and let Him make me anew into a vessel that is pleasing in His sight? There is no doubt I’m a cracked pot. Am I willing to be broken for His glory?

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Parrots and Pigeons

“And He said, ‘Go, and tell this people: “Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.”’”
— Isaiah 6:9

A man walks into a bar with a parrot on his shoulder. The bartender was concerned and asks, “Is he trained?” The parrot responds, “I am, but I’m not sure about him.”

1 John 4:1 warns us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Yet, we don’t. It takes time and effort to test the spirits. It takes study and dedication to “work out your own salvation” (Philippians 2:12). It takes courage to KNOW where you stand and what you believe.

It is much easier to be a parrot or a pigeon.

Parrots, for all the value they have to produce amusement and jokes, don’t actually know anything. However, if you spend enough time with them, they can learn to mimic words and phrases. They can immediately respond to prompts with coined phrases that elicit wonder at their abilities. But question them further and you will descend into a babbling chant without substance. However, at least they have to learn to speak the phrases.

Pigeons on the other hand (homing pigeons, I mean), don’t even have to learn the words. They simply fly to their point of origin with a message strapped to their leg. Not knowing what it says, much less what it means.

We are a country filled with parrots and pigeons, and more pigeons than parrots. We are a people who “keep on hearing, but don’t understand.” We want a hero. We want to echo someone who says things we agree with in eloquent ways. More than that, with social media, we revel in the fact that we don’t even have to figure out how to say the message ourselves. All we have to do is hit the share button and carry the message home to our friend group. No understanding. No perception.

I speak and write often. Never do I feel more insecure than when someone quotes me. I often feel they missed the point. I strive not to provide the answer. I work diligently to raise the question in hopes that God will provide a greater answer in their life.

Over the past week, it has become obvious to me we are building roosts of parrots and pigeons rather than disciples. People who do not think for themselves. Who do not search diligently for their own understanding. People who at best parrot what others say or, even worse, become the flying rat of a pigeon and transmit a message they don’t understand nor truly believe (but it sure gets the “likes”).

Great teachers will never teach you what to say or how to say it. They will challenge you to ask great questions and develop understanding. As 2 Timothy 2:2 says, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit this to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” It is way beyond agreeing with a message. Understanding is not memorization or parroting quotes. It is developing a knowledge base which enables you to teach others.

We were not called to be parrots or pigeons. For them, all the world is a toilet for their deposits. We were called to be men and women who think. People who struggle for truth and contemplate. Cherished individuals who strive to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)

In the end, the only thing you say that matters is what you fully believe in your heart. Everything else is bird poop! As Romans 10:10 states, “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Right before this Paul stated in Romans 10:2-3, “For I bear witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.”

In others words, we should all take account of the words we are sharing with others. Are they formulated from an understanding of God’s righteousness or are they an attempt to create an image of our own? Do we truly believe what we share? Or do we just think what others share is “right”? Have we found our own voice which is built on knowledge and led by God?

We are called to share the Bread of Life. However, far too often, Poli- just wants a cracker (poli- here meaning the public or city). May it never be so with me.

I pray each of us would grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ today. That we would earnestly seek knowledge into who He is and who we are called to be in Him. That we would not be content to share the thoughts of others. No matter how great they are, they cannot replace who God called you to be. Rather, I pray, we would fall at the feet of the Great Teacher, be open to learning, and have the courage to share only the knowledge we find there.

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.