Sometimes I wonder, if Jesus were to come today like He did back then, or instead of back then, how comfortable would I be with Him? Would I like Him? Would any of us who claim to be His followers like Him? We love Jesus of course, but considering all the upset that He caused among the sensible religious and political leaders of His day, He’d probably at the very least make us all very, very uncomfortable today. Jesus made all sorts of people quite uncomfortable, often those who claimed to know God and God’s promises! So if Jesus were to come today, would we Christians in churches like Him at all?
Think about it. Jesus hung out with people who were considered the dregs of society, with the undesirables. These people changed because of Him, but that didn’t stop others from only seeing the backgrounds of these people. Jesus hung out with stinky fishermen (uneducated, and by some considered unimportant), tax collectors (known as cheats and thieves), and prostitutes. Jesus was also technically homeless. At least here where I live, most people are uncomfortable with the idea of hanging out with the homeless, with prostitutes, with thieves, with those considered to be undesirables. But Jesus would be hanging out with the homeless, the drug addicts, the prostitutes, and the other undesirables. He might even be seen talking to a few pimps and drug dealers for all I know, and probably did back then.
Then I thought about the Great Commission, and how Jesus has called us to go everywhere and to everyone. While not all of us are suited, ready, and called to just go talk to some drug addicts or pimps, we are all called to reach people that we might be uncomfortable with. Who knows, maybe God is calling some of us to learn how to reach prostitutes, pimps, drug addicts, and the like. Maybe some of us are already experienced enough to start reaching these people. Certainly not alone, which is why there are so many of us Christians to work together, and why there are organizations equipped to help you with things like this, but it is an interesting thing to consider. While God might not be calling you to such “extremes,” maybe you are being called somewhere to people that make you wildly uncomfortable. But remember, Jesus is already there.
And remember that we all need Jesus, and that He loves us as much as He loves the “undesirables.” We are all sinners in need of God’s grace through Jesus, so none of us should look down on someone else who is in the same position we were before we got saved, regardless of how bad off we think they are or how good off we think we are. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 comes to mind. Paul was reminding the Corinthian church members that they used to be these people. While not all of us have backgrounds as addicts, dealers, or anything else society looks down upon, we should not be looking down on others. We all need Jesus. Maybe not all the same way, but definitely just as much and for the same thing.
Related:
You Are a Missionary
Prejudice and the Great Commission
Adventure!
In Jesus’ Name
What Your Belief Looks Like