Now Jesus, He was a teacher. We read His poetic parables and try to discern His intentions of sharing them. John 7, we see Jesus speaking and impressing crowds of people at the Festival of the Tabernacle. Here is where people (other than disciples) start to bring up the M word around the name Jesus, messiah. Even when the Pharisees send the temple guard to arrest Jesus, His words penetrate their hearts and the return to their chief priests they tell of the ability this man had as a speaker.
In Matthew we read that He went into the holy temples and taught and professed the good news, but as we delve further into the story of this man or prophet or rabbi or teacher or healer or messiah we start to see the full meaning of his teachings unfold. There were things He did that no other 'holy-man' or rabbi would do. I am not referring to miracles or healings or even ascension to heaven but rather the fact that He had the humility and compassion and love to eat with a sinner, a tax collector, a prostitute, a leper, or a widow...
In Matthew chapter 9, Jesus meets a tax collector; this tax collector was not only recognized by Jesus, he was called. This chapter of the bible wrecks my personally. After He calls Matthew to follow Him, He has dinner at Matthews house with many tax collectors and sinners. No rabbi would be caught dead sharing a meal with these people. They are deemed unworthy and of lesser status, yet this rabbi named Jesus breaks bread with and embraces these people. Now, the Pharisees did not like this so the question Jesus' disciples... this is where things get interesting. Over-hearing this, Jesus had to reply:
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
WOW! Jesus is saying to these critics, I want you to have compassion and love and to stop looking to play suck-up with a sacrifice... The Message interpretation of the bible says it beautifully:
"Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: 'I'm after mercy, not religion.' I'm here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders."
This religious leader is demanding other religious leaders that the laws can hinder and that religion can bind and that there is more to this than following a code. He asks a simple Black Eyed Peas questions: 'Where is the Love?' He is showing us that there is something special about the sinner, He is showing us that each person, no matter how ugly to the world, holds a place and is a child in the eyes of a Father.
As I started earlier, we learn from these writers and pastors on the knowledge of faith and understanding and even love... but one thing I have learned is that the DETAILS AND FINE PRINT OF LOVE CAN NOT BE LEARNED IN A BOOK OR IN A STUDY, THEY MUST BE EXPERIENCE THROUGH THE ACT OF LOVE. We finally begin to understand these details when we start to be a doctor to the sick. If you want to here a story of these details talk to those who stopped wishful thinking and hopeful teachings and turned to the world and embraced it with open arms. We can learn from the missionary and the pastors that LIVE WITH the community and NOT just teach in it. Or even the unknown, untitled person that witnessed a need and is doing everything they can to meet it.
"6 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."
To give a thoughtful sermon sometimes just doesn't do it, yes it can be a word from God, but the Word OF God tells us to MOVE. It breaks my heart to see ministers and pastors and bible school students and those that claim Jesus simply do nothing about the sick and hurting and oppressed that surround them, but when it comes to getting up in the spot light and throwing out facts and calling people to pray they have no problem doing it.
To speak a message of love isn't enough, it will never reach the hurting; if you want to reach the most hurting, the most sick, the most oppressed then you will realize that you need BE a message of love. We are called to speak the good news of a love that came and the next and sometimes forgotten step is the call to BE love and to bring hope to ALL people. ALL=not just the fortunate and the righteous and those who have it all together, it means every ethnicity and every religious background and every world view. Condemnation and a bull horn does not bring redemption but loving someone through their sin and showing compassion to those in need bring FREEDOM.
speak love and BE LOVE
No comments:
Post a Comment