Did Jesus Lose His Patience?

It seems that the older I get, the less patience for others and their lack of compassion and kindness.  It's not the little children, the teenagers, or the young adults that I have lack of patience for.  They are not experienced and have many lessons to learn in the years to come.  It is the adults I have little patience with.  Those who are 40, 50, 60 years old and older.  It doesn't matter if they are believers or unbelievers.  They should know better.  They should have some maturity. Their attitudes, their opinions, their selfishness, their actions towards others, this is what bothers me and causes me to lose my patience.

I am nowhere near perfect and I am sure others hear me and lose their patience with me.  I am an outspoken person and only at certain times can I keep my opinions to myself.  This is not one of those times.  I  fast lose my patience with people who are intelligent and old  enough to handle circumstance differently or say verbalize differently. 

Romans 12:12 (ESV) 

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Romans 8:25 (ESV) 

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Ephesians 4:2 (ESV) 

With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

Psalm 37:7 (ESV)

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 

1 Corinthians 13:4 (ESV) 

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

Colossians 3:12 (ESV)

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

Over and over the scriptures speak of how we are to be patient just as God is patient with us.  I know in my spirit that to lose my patience is not good.  I know that at times people have had to be patient with me as I learned my lessons in life.  For close to 7 decades I have learned patience.  Why am now losing my patience with others?  Why do I not want to be around certain people who exacerbate my patience?  Did Jesus lose his patience with people?

We read in scripture the story of Jesus in the temple turning over the tables of the money changers.  

John 2: 13-16 (KJV)

And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

There is the story of a father whose only son was possessed by an evil spirit.  

Luke 9:40-42 (NKJV)

So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

Then we have the storm at sea with the disciples crying out for help!

Mark 4:37-40 (ESV)

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

What about the story in the garden of Gethsemane?

Mark 26:37-38 (NKJV)

And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

Mark 26:40 (NKJV)

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?"

Mark 26:43-45 (NKJV)

And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

There are more stories of Jesus dealing with the faithless apostles, the hatred of the religious leaders, and the evilness of the hearts of human beings.  His patience had to be hanging by a thread many different times.  Even with all of the humanism he faced, he did not lose his temper.  

Over and over Jesus went to pray, alone.  Did he need to seek the Father to ask for patience?  Did he need to pour out his heart to the Father when the people and the apostles hammered him with questions, explanations, requests for healings and miracles?  Did he need to regroup after spending time with multitudes of people who only wanted something from him while he received nothing in return?  I believe he needed these times of solitude to regain his spiritual, emotional, mental and physical strength.

Matthew 14:23 (NKJV)

And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  

Luke 6:12 (NKJV)

Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Mark 1:35 (KJV)

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Luke 5:16 (NASB)

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

As I think about my lack of patience with inconsiderate people I need to think about how the Lord handled this issue.  I need to find my place of solitude and ask the Father to refresh my spirit and my mind.  I need to find compassion for those who irritate me with their opinions, aggression, and uncompassionate attitudes.  I need to find that mountain top and pray!

Proverbs 3:21-22 (NLT)

My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them, for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace.

Proverbs 11:25 (NLT)

The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

Jeremiah 31:25 (NIV)

"I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

Lord Jesus, refresh my spirit and my mind so that I may speak your words into the hearts, minds and ears of those in my life or cross my path.  Amen.