Episode 1--I Believe Jesus was an Introvert

Hello, Civilla Morgan here! Welcome to episode one of the Not Just Another Religion and Politics Podcast! Thank you for tuning in! 

I have been feverishly writing since deciding to obey God and do this limited-edition podcast. So many episode ideas have popped in and out of my head, but somehow I knew this had to be the first episode. 

So here’s the deal: 

I want this podcast to speak to people, not yell at people. Whether you are a Believer or not, a Christian or not, I want this podcast to be so plain in its language, that even if you have never stepped foot in a church, you will get this. You will get who Jesus is, and you will get what relationship with Him is like, despite what people--Christians and non-Christians, try to do to get you to turn your back. Come along with me. I promise it will be a really cool experience! And I believe you will learn something new.

    

Without further ado, here is episode one,  ‘I Believe Jesus was an introvert’

 Every time Jesus wanted to pray he tried and usually succeeded in getting away from the crowds. Luke 5:16 says  ‘But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.’ Jesus was followed a lot. There was always someone who needed healing or had a family member who needed healing. 

But He knew how important it was to pray on a regular basis. Which is, by the way,  a great habit to practice. 

I believe He, like the typical introvert, needed that alone time to recharge. 

John 8:1-2, says “but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.”

 

Sounds to me like He went to The Mount of Olives alone. I found in some of my research that Jesus probably went out of Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives because He did not have anyone in town willing to put Him up for the night. Everyone knew how threatened by Him the religious leaders were, so no one wanted to risk putting Him up for the night.

So he would show up at the temple during the day, but at night He went into the countryside. I would imagine His disciples were with him most of those times, but He got in His alone time.   

As Believers we should all put aside a certain amount of time daily, to pray alone. And yes, we also pray in groups, corporate prayer on Sunday mornings or in small groups. 

We are a social race, but we are also individuals. We need to be able to speak to God on our own, to cultivate a relationship as He asked us to do. It’s relationship that He is after. Not religion.

He wants us to talk to Him. To cry out to Him in our pain, or to praise Him when we celebrate. 

I believe Jesus’ prayer time rejuvenated him--giving Him what he needed to reach the masses and the individuals on a daily basis. Large or small crowds can sap the energy of the introvert.

  

As introverts, we tend to be selective about who we have in our circles, on our boat, dare I say, but we can still get hurt. Jesus was hurt by Judas after all. Did you know your betrayers know your schedule? That can be a whole other episode! But the fact is, Judas knew where Jesus would be. 

By the way, we will talk about church hurt in a later episode. Stay tuned for that!   

 

Three reasons I believe Jesus was an introvert:

1. He traveled with the same small group of people--his disciples and his good friends, although he helped thousands.
2. He trusted certain of his group to do certain things, in other words, he delegated to his disciples. And seldom if ever, relied on anyone outside his circle to do anything for him. Yet even within his small group, there was a smaller group. He only took three of his disciples with Him to the Mt. of Transfiguration. 

 

‘After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.’--Matthew 17:1-3.

 

1.  He relied on what was reliable, what was proven. In His case, prayer. Prayer is proven. Prayer is answered, even when the answer is not quite what we expected.

 

Jesus genuinely cared about people. He cared about the heart of man. 

 

‘And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.’--Ezekiel 36:26.

As I wrote and researched the content for this episode, the thought came to my mind: Has anyone posed the question, ‘is Jesus an introvert?’ So I Googled it. Surprise to me! There were several articles on the matter: There was only one that directly talked about Jesus being an introvert or extrovert. I put in the show notes. Be sure to check it out. 

Well, that is my argument for introvert Jesus.  Short and sweet.

You may be wondering, ‘why does it matter?’  Well, isn’t it good to truly know someone? Isn’t it nice to be able to say about a friend or family member, ‘she doesn’t like soda’. Or, ‘he only drinks this particular brand of soft drink.’ Isn’t it nice to be known? Of course, it is! It makes you feel special. 

While Jesus certainly does not need us to make Him feel special, the more we get to know Him and allow Him to speak into our hearts, the better our relationship with Him will be. The more we will understand and obey when He speaks to our hearts. Whether you are an introvert or extrovert, get to know Him. Allow Him into your heart. Get to know His heart. It is a relationship worth cultivating. 

Before I go, I want to remind you to not only listen to the podcast but be sure to check out the show notes.  All of the sources used for each episode will be in the show notes. I will also have a quote for you to think about in each episode. And I will have a question for you. 

There will be a section for any articles I find in my research that I think you would like to read. So yes, the show notes are chock full of great info.  

 What do you think? Extrovert or introvert? 

And while I am asking questions, here is a question I will be asking every episode: who is God?

Think about it and tell me anytime between now and the end of the podcast, the 25th episode. I would love to hear your thoughts!

 

Who is God?

 

Think on this:

‘If there is  no maturity in your relationship with Jesus, you don’t trust the process and you don’t trust the author and finisher of your faith.’--Civilla

Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to check out the show notes where you can view the research I used to create this episode, and to read some articles I think you may find interesting. Until next time!

Sources:

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-stories/judas-betrayed-jesus-bible-story.html

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+18&version=NIV 

(John 18:1-8) 

John 18:1-8 says

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side, there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.

2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns, and weapons.’

 If we are to believe historical accounts, Judas was one of Jesus’ closest disciples. I don’t mean to go off on a tangent, but really, there is almost no deeper hurt than the hurt of betrayal by someone who is close: a family member, friend, business partner, etc. Someone who knows your schedule.  

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/people/who-was-judas-iscariot.html 

(The story of Judas Iscariot)

 

Luke 5:16 New International Version (NIV) New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Matthew 26:49-50, Luke 22:49

 

Jeremiah 17:7-8 ESV / 21 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

https://www.openbible.info/topics/rejuvenation

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+17&version=NIV

Articles:

 

https://paulgustavson.net/was-jesus-an-introvert/

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx6WZQqEgFA

(What did Jesus write in the sand?)

 

https://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/dr-julie-barrier/what-did-jesus-really-write-in-the-sand.html