Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

Several years ago I had the unfortunate experience of being present when two grown men got into an ugly, verbal argument. As they got closer to one another and tempers flared higher, it had all the signs of deteriorating into a physical altercation. Because children were present, or because I was much younger and had less common sense, I stepped between them. I have no idea why. I wasn’t big enough to deter them from throwing down if that’s what they wanted to do. Neither necessarily reminded me of someone who would be deterred by the thought of possibly hitting a woman. I said something. I don’t remember what it was. They probably didn’t hear me. I’m sure they didn’t care. Whatever I said certainly didn’t have the same flavor as some other words floating around. Somehow, likely the rescuing hand of God, the situation diffused. No one hit anyone. No one got arrested. Everyone went home instead of spending the night in the county “hotel”. Thankfully, I haven’t been in a similar situation since. I hope I’d react differently now. I’m older, hopefully wiser, probably less brave…or less crazy. In truth, I’d forgotten the whole incident until I was reading the account of Moses and Aaron trying to lead the Israelites after they left Egypt.

What a task that must have been! Continual complaints. Persistent grumbling. Frequent disobedience. Low optimism. Not everyone was happy. Not everyone wanted to keep travelling. Turning back grew more and more appealing as food depleted and water was scarce. Some were disappointed to find the Promised Land wasn’t just around the bend. Some were afraid they would die in the wilderness even before their rebellion doomed them to that fate. For people rescued from horrific working conditions and slavery in a foreign country by amazing acts that could only be attributed to God, they were incredibly demanding and wilfull. Recalcitrant children, as it were, completely dependent on God’s mercy, yet wholly uncooperative and unaccepting of His authority until they were in a bind.  

And they were often in a bind. Situations created by the darkness of their unholy hearts. Complaints about the provisions. They didn’t like manna. Or quail. They wanted Egypt’s food–leeks, garlic, cucumbers, melons. (Numbers 11:5) Years in the desert do not seem to reduce their recollections of the culinary pleasures of Egypt. Time after time they anger God with their complaints and lack of faith in His provisions and wisdom. ( Exodus 15:24-25; Exodus 16:1-36; Exodus 17:1-7; Numbers 20:2-5) 

It wasn’t just provisions. Like sneaky children, while Moses is up on the mountain getting instructions from God, the Israelites get busy convincing Aaron to create a golden calf to worship. Why would they do that? They had explicit instructions concerning creation of idols. (Exodus 20:4; 32:1-29) Yet there they were, testing the very limits of God’s patience by direct disobedience. Even after seeing the demise of Korah and his followers for their rebellion, the Israelites began murmuring against Moses–the very next day! (Numbers 16) Each time it angers God that their trust in Him is so small, their affection toward Him so fickle. Each time He wants to punish, even destroy them. Each time Moses and Aaron jump in the gap between the people and God to beg for mercy. And each time He relents from His decision to wipe them from the face of the earth.

Their complaints, attempted uprisings, rebellions and disobedience wear and grate on Moses. (Numbers 20:2-11) Who can blame him for being frustrated? Even through all the anger, irritation, frustration and tiresome quarreling, Moses, of his own volition, still steps between the judgment of God and the people who are driving him to distraction. What made him do that? Why didn’t he just let God destroy them and start over? How can we explain Moses leaping between God’s wrath and the Israelite people over and over again? What made Moses and Aaron throw themselves on the ground before God to beg for the salvation of the angry, complaining lot. Why would they beg God to rescue, to save a group of people who sin indiscriminately, exhibit no care for God’s laws, and clearly believe they should get into the Promised Land based simply on their genealogy? (Numbers 14:13-44; 16:41-50) 

Moses and Aaron weren’t young men. They weren’t ignorant of the dangers of God’s wrath. Their common sense wasn’t lacking. So why do it? Why step between two warring factions when one clearly has the advantage? Only love does that. Love for God. Love for the people. Love for those outside themselves made them willing to stand in the gap between the selfish people and the God who could wipe them all out with the blink of His eyes. I find it amazing. 

We find ourselves in the same unfortunate situation.The world is full of murmuring, complaining souls selfishly casting aside obedience to God’s laws to instead serve their own rebellious nature. The Bible has been edited and twisted to mean what people want to hear instead of what God actually said. They’ve rubber stamped sin. They’ve tried to tell us everyone gets into Heaven. But you are responsible for your own actions. Those who choose sin, will know spiritual death. (Ezekiel 18:20) They aren’t my words. They are God’s. 

Do you care? As you look around at the broken world, spiritually desolate society, and the pied pipers of hell leading souls astray, does your heart weep? Do you hear the words of God as He speaks through Ezekiel of His search for someone to rebuild the wall of righteousness around the people, as He searches for someone to fill the gaps so He doesn’t have to destroy them?  Do you hear the sadness in His voice as He says no one was found, no one stepped up, there were no wall builders, no gap fillers? There was no one who cared enough to throw themselves between the anger of God and the people who so desperately needed salvation. (Ezekiel 22:30-31)

Maybe you look around, see the need, the evil, the sin, and wonder how you can possibly make a difference? You can’t force people to change. You can’t make people choose Jesus. Neither could Moses and Aaron. So they did the only thing they knew to do, they threw themselves down before the Lord and cried out to Him in prayer for the people. It was all they could do. It’s all we can do too. 

We can talk, preach and teach until we run out of breath. We can write books, articles and blogs until we run out of words. We can pass out Bibles and sing hymns on the street corner all day long. Those are all good things, but, in spite of their worth, they do not enable us to make people turn to God. We are physically, verbally impotent to cause this rebellious, self-centered, sin craving generation to turn back to righteousness. Only God Himself, answering the fervent, consistent prayers of gap fillers and wall builders can do that. 

The question is, “How much do you want it?” How much do you want to see this nation turn back to God? You see the gap, the broken wall. You know God won’t hold back sin’s punishment forever. You know the end of sin is death. (James 1:15) You know people are dying physically without Jesus every day. You know souls are dying every second. Do you care enough about our society, our country, our world to step between the certain wrath of God and the spiritually dying souls around you and plead with Him to save them? Would you implore God on behalf of the lost in our world? Those who have wronged you. Those who want nothing to do with God. Those who don’t want your prayers until they are in a bind. Do you care about them anyway?

God does. And He is searching. Searching for the Moses and Aaron’s of our day. Searching for the ones who will rebuild the wall of righteousness. Searching for someone to throw themselves in the gap and cry out to God on behalf of the people. Searching for you. Searching for me. Asking us to come out of hiding, out of self-preservation status, and throw ourselves down in intercessory prayer for a nation far from God. Knowing Jesus is our only answer, our only hope, will you be the one? Will you step up, answer the call, and be a wall builder and gap filler for the Kingdom?

“I’m sorry. We’ve exhausted all our options. There’s nothing more we can do.” The physician’s words echoed in the still, emptiness of the room. Her heart sunk in hopeless disappointment. She didn’t let it show on her face. Desperate tears burned the backs of her eyes. She didn’t let them roll down her cheeks. Panic twisted her stomach, inducing the urge to run. She didn’t allow herself that luxury. This situation wasn’t new. She’d heard those words before. Lots of times. At least 12 times, the same number of years she’d been seeing doctor after doctor, seeking a diagnosis, a cure for her continually worsening condition. 

Hope, the tiny glimmer she’d had upon entrance to this appointment, died a miserable, instantaneous death. There was nothing left to hope for. There were no doctors left to see.  She’d seen them. There were no treatments left to try. She’d tried them. There was no money left. Her last coin now sat in the hand of a doctor who had told her only what every other doctor before him had said. There was no help, no hope. 

Drawing a stabilizing breath, she stepped out the door and turned toward home. It would be a long walk. She was exhausted. She was weak. She felt broken. She knew her heart was. The illness had taken its toll. Physically failing, emotionally spent, her mind began to badger her with questions she couldn’t answer. What would happen now? How would she live? Would she live at all?  

As she passed through town, an enormous commotion drew her attention. A large crowd had already gathered in the center of town and seemed to be multiplying by the second. Shopkeepers were standing in their doorways watching the hubbub. She sighed. She needed to get through, but the crowd was intimidating for a woman who had no strength, no stature, no stamina. Looking for a place to rest until the uproar died down, she ducked into a nearby doorway. As she stood there watching the teeming crowd, the conversation of some nearby shopkeepers caught her attention. Jesus of Nazareth was in town. 

Her mind raced. Her heart pounded. Jesus was in town? She’d heard all about Him. Everyone had. He was amazing. Teaching in the Temple. Casting out demons. Raising the dead. Healing the sick. The answer she didn’t have moments before was now standing just on the other side of the crowd. She had to get to Him. He was her last hope, her only hope. He was the answer she had spent twelve fruitless years and countless dollars trying to find. Touching Jesus was her only option. 

But how? How could a frail woman get through that crowd of able-bodied men?  How could she breach the circle of His disciples around Him?  What if she got crushed in the press? What if she got injured in the struggle? What if she got trampled by the masses? It didn’t matter. She would touch Him or die trying. Her life depended on it. 

Gathering the remnants of her waning strength, she carefully joined the edges of the crowd and began her journey. She sidestepped a few people, wiggled between a few others. Every spot that opened in front of her, she filled. Pausing a moment to catch her breath, she noticed she was only about halfway through the crowd. The densest sea of bodies was in front of her. Lifting her chin in sheer determination, she continued her trek.  She was panting, her heart was pounding as if she’d run a marathon. Only desperation kept her going. And she was desperate. Desperate to touch Jesus. 

Dodging flailing arms and stomping feet, she continues her journey. A painful elbow to the ribs doesn’t stop her. A shove sideways doesn’t deter her. She’s reached the last few feet. She can see His back. She can also hear Jairus begging Jesus to come heal his daughter. She hears Him agree. It feels like a physical blow. Her faith flickers, nearly dies. If He starts to move now, she’ll never reach Him. The row of men between her and Jesus is so tight, so unforgiving, she nearly cries out in despair. The tears that didn’t fall before now blur her vision. She pauses in indecision. Should she continue the struggle, or turn back? 

In that one paralyzed moment, as she agonizes over how to reach Him, the press of the crowd overtakes her. It was just what she needed. Rocketed between the men in front of her, she finds herself in an undignified sprawl in the dirt. Embarrassed, she looks up to see if anyone has noticed, but she doesn’t see faces, she sees a hem. The hem of Jesus’ garment as He begins to walk away. In a decision borne of desperate faith, her hand flashes out and just glances off the hem of His robe. She didn’t pull, didn’t grab hold. Just a quick touch. And she was healed. She felt it. Knew it. No matter the struggle, the frustration, the pain, touching Jesus was worth every second. 

But it didn’t go unnoticed. Jesus, knowing she had touched Him and been healed, turns around to the crowd and demands the person own up to their actions. The disciples, in disbelief, wonder how in the world He could possibly know one specific person touched Him. Many people had touched Him as they jostled along among the crowd. Jesus insists. Knowing in her soul that she cannot hide, she timidly admits her faithful act. Jesus’ response brings tears to my eyes every time.  He calls her “Daughter.” Commends her faith. Pronounces her “healed”. (Matthew 9:19-22; Mark 5:24-34, Luke 8:43-48) Touching Jesus was absolutely worth everything her desperate soul and broken body endured.

As I sit quietly wiping tears and absorbing this story, I find myself in the uncomfortable position of needing to answer this question, “How desperate am I to touch Jesus?” With all the situations beyond my control, problems that don’t seem to have answers, prayers I’ve been praying for years for people who don’t seem to care, how desperate am I to truly touch Jesus for those things? When I’m trudging through a spiritual desert, how desperately do I reach out to touch Jesus? Do I stay in prayer like Jacob, refusing to leave His presence without the blessing of His Divine approval? (Genesis 32:22-32)  Do I ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking? (Matthew 7:7) Or do I let the busyness of the day, the pleasures of the world, the worries of life draw me away before I truly touch Him? (Mark 4:19) Do I wholeheartedly believe that touching Jesus is worth sacrifice, struggle, and tears?

Do you? Do you believe the answer to your situation can be found in touching Jesus? Do you believe it is the only answer to your deepest need, your darkest dilemma? Or do you spend hours on the phone, on social media, at coffee klatches spilling your issues, problems, cares, concerns to all and sundry? Do you reach out to people first, Jesus second? People who can’t help, can’t change hearts or mend situations. People who are as impotent as you are to make the miraculous happen. How desperate are you to touch Jesus?

I don’t know what’s plaguing your mind or heart today. Maybe it’s your own sin. Maybe it’s a child, a sibling, a parent straying from God. Maybe it’s a burden for a country far from the faith it once held dear. Maybe it’s a missionary, a preacher, a friend in the throes of dark spiritual trial. Maybe it’s you, your own personal crisis of faith. Maybe you’ve been struggling with the same issue, bearing the same burden for years. Maybe it feels too much, too heavy, too useless. Maybe you feel you’ve done everything you can. Maybe you want to quit. I know those feelings. I’m there too. I also know this–the answer to every struggle, every situation, every issue, temptation, frustration, and fear lies in touching Jesus.  

So get on your knees, get in your prayer closet, cry out to Jesus. Don’t stop until you touch Him. (I Thessalonians 5:17) Touch Jesus and allow Him to change your life. Touch Jesus for that soul who is straying. Touch Jesus for a country far off course. Touch Jesus in faith, expecting Him to work. And He will answer. He will work. (Jeremiah 33:3; Psalm 91:15) And you will find, touching Jesus is absolutely, unquestionably the single most important thing you will ever do.

They missed it!  They totally missed their miracle! The people of Nazareth had cajoled, whined, demanded that Jesus perform a miracle. It was His duty, right? He’d just read from the Prophet Isaiah saying God would send a Savior to release captives, heal the sick, and overthrow oppression. Jesus sat there, read that prophecy, and calmly stated it had been fulfilled. The obvious indication being He was that Savior. But they wanted proof. They wanted their share of the miraculous. A healing or two. They deserved it, right? 

Jesus was a homegrown boy, a good one. He was raised in their town. His family still lived there. They did business with Joseph. If this kid had turned out to be their Savior, shouldn’t they get the most benefit? He’d already done miracles in other places. Yet here He was, sitting among them, claiming to be the promised Savior, but refusing to do a miracle to prove it. And He insulted them in the process, claiming they wouldn’t accept Him in His hometown. Seriously? 

It didn’t sit right. Angrily, they jump up and rush at Him. He’d give them their miracle or jump off a cliff. They press forward. Jesus backs up. They push closer. The edge of the cliff looms behind Him. Blinded by anger at the alleged insult and their own desire to see proof of His claims, they keep pushing. Their minds are fixed on getting their miracle. They have Jesus cornered now. He’ll have to give in. But wait. Where did He go? Did He fall over the edge? No. He’s not there. He’s not anywhere! In the haze of their anger, the single-mindedness to have their demands met, they missed the very miracle they were so desirous to see. Jesus miraculously passed through the crowd and walked away. No one saw Him go. No one felt Him brush their arm as He passed. They didn’t even realize He was gone until it was done. They missed their miracle because they were looking only for the miracle they wanted, the big flashy one. In their narrow-mindedness, they missed the mundane miracle they got. (Luke 4:14-30)  

In righteous indignation, I want to exclaim over the ridiculousness of these people. What were they thinking? Did their selfish hearts imagine Jesus would just walk through town and fix everything with a magical wave of His hand?  Were they expecting the heavens to open, wealth to rain down, illness to evaporate, and everything to be flowers and sunshine forever after?  I scoff at the silliness. But my scoff turns to a discomfort-covering cough as I am forced to acknowledge I’ve been in the exact same space.

Earlier this year, my daughter was enduring some issues at school. Like you, I have a no-tolerance policy for any type of bullying, false accusations, or mistreatment of my child. We were trying to fix the problem. We talked with the counselor and principal. They tried. Things weren’t looking good. When Spring break rolled around we were seated firmly in the front seat of the struggle bus. I was exhausted trying to think of a way to make it through the last nine weeks of school. It was going to be a long ride. We needed a miracle. I had a dozen ideas for how that miracle could look. I’d prayed a hundred prayers. Nothing seemed to happen. 

When we got back from Spring Break, our state locked down in COVID-19 quarantine. I hated it. It was horrible. I could barely pray a prayer that wasn’t angry. My kids were in limbo waiting to see if school would start again. We were all in limbo waiting to see if life would start again. Somehow, through the fog of my angst and irritation, I realized my daughter had effectively been removed from the issue at school. A positive in a world of negatives, for certain. And when the news finally came that school was canceled for the remainder of the year, the scales fell off my eyes and I saw the miracle that was staring me in the face all along. That annoying, frustrating, nearly unbearable quarantine was my miracle. 

I certainly didn’t expect a respiratory virus and global quarantine to be the miraculous answer to my desperate prayers. I didn’t expect my child’s rescue to come on the wings of a canceled school year. My miracle looked nothing like I expected it to.  It wasn’t as lovely or peaceful as I imagined. In fact, I probably would have missed the miracle, called it coincidence, if I hadn’t read the above account in the book of Luke just a few months before. It spoke to me then and continues to speak to me now. It tells me that I miss seeing the miraculous I long to see, not because it doesn’t happen, but because my idea of the miraculous is too narrow, too human. 

Yours might be too. We get bogged down with the crazy notion that miracles are all big, ostentatious moments drawing crowds and attention. We think miracles are only the life-changing moments of death sentence diseases healed, insurmountable bills paid, or lives in a horrific car crash saved. We expect miracles to be so large, so loud, so influential that we miss the small, everyday miracles. The ones that happen with no fanfare, no press, no audience. We dub them coincidences. We call them serendipitous. We fail to look at them and say, “That’s miraculous!” We miss miracles because our idea of the miraculous is so limited.  

So was Naaman’s. He nearly missed his miracle too. We wonder how. Stricken with an incurable disease, why would he come to the prophet Elisha asking for a miracle, but not want to do something so simple as dipping in a river? So what if it’s muddy? Who cares if it’s demeaning? What does it matter if the prophet himself gave the prescription or sent it via a servant?  Doesn’t Naaman value his life more than a little mud and a touch of humiliation in front of a few servants? 

But it does matter, because Naaman, just like us, is looking for a pleasant, flashy, obvious miracle. One he thought up on his own, something to brag about. Doesn’t this prophet know who he is? Does Elisha not grasp the dignity of Naaman’s station?  Yet he doesn’t even come out of the house. He sends his servant out to say, “Go take a dip in the muddy, disgusting waters of the Jordan.”  It feels like a diss, a dismissal. It’s not. It’s a test. A test to see if Naaman believes in the miraculous power of Elisha’s God, even if his healing doesn’t happen with a wave of the prophet’s hand. Could Naaman believe that a miracle could happen in the still quietness of a dirty river instead of the way he thinks it should?  (II Kings 5:1-14)

Can you?  In the virulent onslaught of news, gossip, and opinions of the world, have you lost your ability to see the miraculous? Do you fail to recognize miracles because they don’t look the way you imagined?  Do you fail to believe God, rail at Him for not coming through, because you can see only the lost miracle you wanted, not the one you got? Have you forgotten that God is omniscient? Your past, present, and future are spread before Him. (Psalm 139; Job 28:24) Maybe your idea of a miraculous rescue would be disastrous in the long run. He knows and sends a miracle to benefit your future, whether you see it now or not. (Jeremiah 29:11) 

You see, our miracles might not look like we imagined. They might not be splashed across the internet in bold-type headlines. They are miracles just the same. So stop it. Stop limiting God. Stop coming to Him demanding a specific miracle in exchange for devotion, good behavior, devoutness. Stop being too much like Naaman, throwing a fit when your miracle isn’t flashy enough or doesn’t draw a crowd. Stop being like the people of Nazareth. Stop thinking God owes you some crazy, wild, “magical unicorn” miracle. He doesn’t owe you anything, but He still chooses to shower on you miracle after miracle. (Psalm 68:19) If you open your eyes, you’ll see them. They might not be breaking news. They might not be medical journal material. They might not even be miraculous to your neighbor. But when we put our trust in the power of God and allow Him to perform His miracles, all things are possible, both large and small. (Luke 1:37) So roll your problems, worries, and cares over on God, mind your business, and leave the miracle-working to the Master. (I Peter 5:7)

A collaborative effort of Rev. Rodney Stearns and Naomi Meyers

If God had a cell phone
And used it just like you, 
How much time would you spend waiting
In the "call waiting" queue?

When you call to ask for mercy, 
Would He just shoot back a text?
Too busy searching websites
To take time to connect. 
 
Would He be too lost in videos
Or news and world events,
To notice or acknowledge 
When a sinner repents?
 
As your children call on Jesus
In their bedtime prayer at night, 
Would He be too busy scrolling
To look down in delight?
 
When they ask him for a puppy
Or a kitten or a friend,
Would His compassion then be failing
As He sought the newest trend?
 
Why do you have a cell phone
When God speaks straight to you?
Were you looking for distractions
From your internal view?

Did you ask God for a cell phone,
To help you win the lost?
If you led someone to Jesus,
That would sure be worth the cost!

Did you send a text to someone
To brighten up their day?
A scripture verse reminding,
God answers when we pray!

Aren’t you glad God’s not addicted
To a cell phone just like you?
Perhaps if you would lay yours down
You’d find that you care too.

Care more for people lost in sin,
For others deep in doubt.
Care for the people next to you,
Have time to help them out.
 
So put the cell phone down, my friend,
And you will surely see
The God who rules all Heaven and earth
Has time for you and me.

Then take that time, without your phone,
To ride bikes with your kids. 
To check-in with your neighbors
And long lost relatives. 

Spend some more time praying 
On God’s direct call line.
I promise if you call on Him, 
He’ll answer every time. 

See, you don’t need a cell phone
To do the things that count.
You just need time with Jesus
And a heart to help folks out!
 
Although we hope you have enjoyed the rhyme and meter of our little poem, 
we also hope you will evaluate your phone time with Judgment Day honesty.
Society is dying, and we are playing games on our cell phones. Our families
are needy, and we are scrolling news sites. God is calling, and we are
effectively sending it to voicemail as we put shopping, social media,
e-mail, news, videos, and sports ahead of Him. We desperately need to lay
down the phone. Turn it off for an hour. Put the eternal before the
temporal. Choose to follow God. Allow nothing before Him. (Joshua 24:15,
Exodus 20:3) Look deep inside. See what your cell phone usage is saying.
For where your treasure is, there also is your heart. (Matthew 6:21)
What does your phone say about that?

One of the most amazing stories of Jesus’ earthly ministry has to be the feeding of the five thousand. Not the actual feeding part. I’m not surprised that Jesus was able to make 5 loaves and 2 fishes feed 5000 men. If you’ve read through His earthly ministry, you aren’t surprised either. Water has been turned to wine. People have been healed. Demons cast out. After all that, making a huge meal on a beggar’s budget is no big surprise. No. The surprising part is the reason Jesus stopped to teach them in the first place. The words stop me in my tracks every time. “He looked at the crowd and was filled with compassion toward them.” (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-41; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13)

Jesus knew every single heart in that crowd. He knew who was just riding the wave of excitement. He knew the skeptics, the information gatherers, the ones reporting back to the religious leaders. He saw the hearts of the truly interested, those who needed healed, those who needed loved. He knew he’d have to feed them. He didn’t disparage them for forgetting their lunch or tell them to come back when they weren’t hungry. Jesus looked at them, saw the deepest need in the darkest heart, and was filled with unfailing love, unprecedented compassion. 

Then I lay down my Bible, catch a glimpse of the news, and am immediately inundated with the ugliness of humanity. My heart is broken over senseless homicides. My soul is shattered by stories of children violated in selfish depravity. My mind is bewildered by random robberies, assaults, and vandalism. I don’t understand it. As I read the stories, I am tempted to start taking sides. My human sensibilities cry out for revenge, restitution, retribution. Yet in the same instant, I am reminded that God looks on all of us with compassion. Although I may not be able to wrap my finite mind around human behaviors, there is one thing I know with absolute certainty–as He did so many years ago, Jesus looks down on the people of this world and is overcome with infinite love and unfailing compassion. 

See, God is love. (I John 4:16) It’s easy to believe God loves the nice neighbors next door, the regular church attendee, our family and friends. Of course God loves all those good people. But what about the other people? The ones we judge worthy (or not) based on how they look, smell, or talk. What about those luring young girls into prostitution? What about the money launderers, the schemers, the power abusers? What about rapists and murderers?  What about abortion doctors and the Kevorkians of the world? 

Up on our high horse, adjusting the folds of our self-righteous robes, we shake our heads in disbelief that even their mother could love them. We judge these souls based on the casual perusal of a news article written by someone who likely had only half the facts. Judge, jury, executioner, that’s us. We respond to odious, offensive crimes with a fervent, “I hope they get what they deserve!”  Yet even as the words form in my brain, I am simultaneously reminded that God, in compassion, sent Jesus, full of compassion, to die for me, for you, for everyone–the pimp, the pastor, the perp, the pediatrician–because God is full of love and compassion toward humanity that is decidedly void of both. 

This love is not the silly, misused word we so glibly throw around when talking of food, sports, or shoes. No. This love is deep, infinite care about our lives, our hearts, our souls.  It is a love that transcends everything else, longing to see us safely through the pitfalls of the world and bring us to Heaven. No matter what juncture at which we choose to accept it, it will always be there. It doesn’t get tired of waiting, doesn’t take a break, doesn’t give up, doesn’t change. It is true I Corinthians 10:13 love. This love never ends. It is this love that breeds compassion. Care for every single thing in every life. It sobs with those who sob. It belly laughs with those who belly laugh. It never fails, no matter the season of your life. Or my life. This love and compassion is for everyone. The victim and the perpetrator alike. This is the love God has for all humanity. 

It is also the love He commands us to reciprocate. Not toward Him. Toward others. Toward all others–regardless of race, creed, social standing, lifestyle preference, rap sheet, or religious affiliation. None of that matters to Jesus. Remember Zaccheaus? No one liked him. By his own admission, he’d gained at least part of his considerable wealth by overcharging people for taxes, yet Jesus chose his house for dinner. (Luke 19:1-10) And it wasn’t just Zaccheus. In fact, when Jesus went to have dinner at Matthew’s house, he hung out with a whole group of ill-reputed people. Many of them were His followers. (Mark 2:15) What made them follow Jesus? Did they feel His love, compassion, lack of judgment and desire to be in His presence? Do you exude the same love? Or do you pick and choose, write people off as too dirty, too unworthy, too strange? 

What if Jesus had done that to Peter? He denied even knowing Jesus. Not just once, but three times! Because we run our lives on the “three strikes and you’re out” rule, I have trouble thinking we’d be taking him back into the fold. Not Jesus. He takes Peter back. Then sends him out to help build His church. Love, compassion, mercy, grace. (John 18:15-18, 25-27; John 21) Everything Jesus commands us to do is exemplified by His life. He commands us to love, forgive, be merciful, show grace. (Mark 12:31; Ephesians 4:32; Luke 6:36; Matthew 7:12)

This is the mark of a true Christ follower. This is the way God loves. Completely. Compassionately. Unreservedly. Blindly. He calls us to do the same. If you look at any part of humanity–individually or as a group–and feel anything less, you have missed the brief. If you see the homeless, the addicts, the prostitutes as a blight on society, you need to read the Gospels again and see what Jesus thinks. If your heart does not wholly subscribe to the command to love your neighbor, you are simply not following Jesus.  

Love is patient. Love is kind. Love doesn’t abuse or misuse. Love doesn’t keep a tally of wrongs, hold grudges, or seek revenge. Love doesn’t quit when everyone else does. Love retains hope and offers second chances. Love is of God. (I Corinthians 13; I John 4:8) Make no mistake, this is not a rubber stamp that everyone gets to Heaven no matter what they do because God loves them. Love doesn’t equal approval. It is more important than that. Neither does it negate punishment. It’s more important than that too. Love says, “No matter who you are, what you’ve done, where you came from or currently reside, your accent, your hair color, your faults, I see you as a beloved human being created in God’s image. I want the best for you. I want you to know Christ and to meet Him because you met me.” 

Does your life say that? Do your interactions with people, both the elite and the downtrodden, speak love and grace into their lives? Are you a true follower of Jesus?  Do the things that break God’s heart, break your heart too? Are you a living, working, replica of Jesus in a world of brokenness, anger, and hate? If you look on any part of humanity with disdain, regret, animosity, or ill will, ask God to change your heart.  Ask Him to bring you to an indiscriminate place of love, compassion, mercy and grace toward all people. You can do no less, because this is His command. This is the way God loves. (Psalm 145:9; I John 4:7-8, 16)