Scarecrows

I have found that those who would intimidate others have an insecure spirit that hides behind a superior attitude. You need not ever be afraid of them. They are no more than scarecrows. You know, dressed in clothes like you and me, but who are full of straw. These empty vessels have always been around. Sanballat tried to spook Nehemiah; Rabshakeh tried it on Hezekiah; Jezebel attempted the same on Elijah, and the interrogating counsel on the disciples.

It is this crowd that was constantly after Jesus, snipping, as it were, at His heels. Everything concerning His Person, they attacked—His speech, lack of formal education, His trade as a carpenter, His birth, etc. But Jesus had the one thing that all intimidators fear to see in their would-be prey; He knew who He was. He was, as the saying goes, “comfortable in His own skin.” It did not bother Him to get down and wash the disciples feet, for He knew no matter what the position, whether in exaltation or humiliation, He was the same Person within. Intimidators have no clue as to their personal identity.

Therefore, we should never fear man. Why should clay be afraid of clay?