I don't remember what I was thinking a few hours ago...Ahh...(Well, what I'm writing about here isn't it.)
I have had this in my mind for a week or two and at different times I have wanted write more about this but I think I'll just mention it right now. I just don't understand how Jesus could be such a friend of sinners. I've heard this soo many times that Jesus is a friend of sinners and that's great and all, but He was perfect! How could he feel comfortable to be around people with disgusting lives? He must have really, really loved them. That must be it, but what does that look like in practice? I think how uncomfortable I feel when I am around people doing things that I don't approve or that I think are bad/evil. I wonder if that's how Jesus felt, very uncomfortable and wanting to just leave their presence. If He felt that, He sure didn't listen to it. What is even more remarkable to me, is that "sinners" (well some of them) loved being around Jesus. (Maybe it wasn't exactly that, but they were absolutely drawn to Him, and their lives were definitely changed.) That again doesn't completely makes sense to me
I guess my whole life I have not really had friends who were too controversial or friends just did bad things. Most of my friends have been in some way Christian. Those are the people I like being around, those are the people I spend time around. No "sinners" are drawn to me it seems. (Albeit, I'm not Jesus...even if Christ is in my name. ;-) ) Should some people like that be drawn to me or want to be around me or have their lives changed by being around me? What does that look like? Is it less obvious but more little encounters that when all put together add to something?
I guess some of these thoughts come to me when I think about challenging people to live more of their lives for God and to help them try to see things that are in their life that should not be there. I am not too great at this and at times have a tough time figuring out what the issue is at the heart of someone actions. It is just Amazing to me how Jesus did this! Of course, Jesus did pay a price for this. There were those that were drawn to him and loved being around him, but there were also those who had the opposite reaction. Jesus definitely polarized people. But, I guess that's when people truly experience Him in some amount.
That's all for now, I suppose. I'll hopefully write soon about what I was actually thinking today.
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2 comments:
This post has been making my brain hurt for the past two weeks, and I'm a bit disappointed that nobody chimed in to the discussion....
The fact that (some) sinners were drawn to Jesus makes perfect sense to me. Picture yourself living in a land where almost everybody hated/condemned people for being an adulterer/tax collector/something else socially unacceptable and then Jesus comes along and isn't a jerk like everyone else... it seems kinda obvious to me that you would want to be around him. Add in the excitement of him telling the leaders of the day that they were buttheads and not nearly as smart as they thought they were. That must've been a pretty sweet sight for the outcasts.
This could be a really interesting discussion if more people actually commented....
Thanks for commenting, Melissa. I was hoping a person or two more would comment on this post as well...:-/
I had never quite thought about it how you put it, about how everyone is rejecting these people, and there is one person who doesn't! I began to picture that...and OF COURSE I would be drawn to that one person, that one person who sees me as someone else, someone who I know I'm not. Somehow he sees something else in me, something that no one else sees. I would want to do anything to live up to that person's expectation of me, to not let Him down, to not disappoint Him anymore than I already have or could do, to try to prove to Him and myself that I can do it. I'm not who I appear to be...I can be better, I promise. Thank you for believing in me, I don't understand how you can.
Yeah, I can picture EXACTLY how they were drawn to Jesus.
I guess my question is...HOW do I do that for other people? I guess really, it's simple, LOVE them, care for them, see in them what they can be, not who they are now (have a vision for them). Spend time with them, share my life with them, tell them the truth, share Christ with them. I know those things...but do I do them? Can I do better? Do I just not see where I do these in my life?
That list up there is still generalities and not specifics applied to specific people. Why can't the Bible just say, Chris go and do this or be this for this person? That's where the Spirit comes in, if I am able and do listen to him, that is where the specifics will come.
I guess I've answered some of my questions (through rapid jumping), but for some reason that doesn't feel good enough. I know many of the answers. What comes after that? Putting the answers into action....(sigh)...
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