Our Lord spoke words that instructed ignorant hearts. Jesus’ speech repeatedly demonstrated the prediction of Isaiah 11:2, “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” Thankfully, the same Holy Spirit that empowered our Lord indwells everyone who belongs to Him. In John 2, Jesus instructed the unbelieving Jews about Himself as the true temple of God. 

 They were all speaking well of him and were amazed by
the gracious words that came from his mouth. . . . (Luke 4:22)[1]
The servants answered, “No man ever spoke like this!” (John 7:46)

While the entire Bible is God’s Word, red-letter translations—for good or ill—have highlighted the words of our Lord Jesus for millions of readers. One way we as believers and those we counsel can grow in Christlike speech is by studying His words and praying for His Spirit to conform our speaking to His.

As you consider the following five categories of words Jesus spoke, ask yourself how well you speak this way to your family members and friends. I hope this reflection will provide a useful meditation for your own soul and a helpful growth assignment for those you minister to.

1. Our Lord Spoke Words that Refreshed Weary Hearts

In perhaps His most famous invitation, Jesus appealed to His hearers, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28-29). Jesus speaks to those burdened not only by their sin but also by the false teaching of their Jewish leaders.

In this way, Jesus fulfilled the depiction in Isaiah 50:4 of the Messianic Servant of the Lord, “The Lord Godhas given me the tongue of those who are instructed to know how to sustain the weary with a word.” As ancient Israel faced its impending judgment and Assyrian captivity, the Messiah would voice gracious words of promise, comfort, and hope.

How about you? How well do you speak refreshing words to those who battle guilt, discouragement, or weariness? Does “giving rest to burdened” friends mark you? Do your conversations with your spouse or housemates “sustain the weary?”

2. Our Lord Spoke Words that Comforted Grieving Hearts

Immediately after Lazarus’s death, Jesus appeared to Lazarus’s two sisters, Martha and Mary, in John 11:20-27. Amid their tears, He assured Martha, “Your brother will rise again” because “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (vv. 23, 25-26).

Or consider our Lord’s tender, timely words to the widow in Luke 7 who had lost her husband and now just lost her son—her only son, as the text underscores. As Luke describes, “When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her [NIV, “his heart went out to her”] and said, ‘Don’t weep’” (v. 13). He then raised her son from the dead.

How about you? How well do you speak comforting words to those who grieve? That grief might involve the death of someone close to us, like Martha’s brother or the widow’s son, or broader uses of grief that describe the loss of anything (e.g., marriage, possessions, friendships, jobs) we highly value.

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