Matthew 9:36 (NIV) says, "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." From start to finish Jesus was passionate about people. He loved people! His love overflowed at the point where most men’s love runs dry. He loved us despite our sinful pursuits. He loved us despite our poor choices, our blatant failures, our irresponsibility, our mistakes, and our ignorance.
He gladly suffered our ill-timed intrusions, our shortcomings, and our character flaws. He didn’t cringe at the sight of our overwhelming needs. He didn’t retreat at the first hint of our selfishness, our ingratitude, our pride, or our quirky personalities. He was genuinely moved by compassion to act on our behalf. We were a welcome interruption to Jesus. Jesus saw something in us that we don’t always see in ourselves or each other.
Jesus was passionate about people.
And this alone is why Jesus Christ is so different from a good many Christians today. In Matthew 4:23-25 (NIV) we read that, "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him."
If you keep on reading in the gospel of Matthew you will see what Matthew saw. A man with leprosy in Matthew 8:2 (NIV). "A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, 'Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.' " A woman with a fever in Matthew 8:14 (NIV). "When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever." Demon-possessed men in Matthew 8:28 (NIV). "When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way." A paralytic man in Matthew 9:2 (NIV). "Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.' " A greedy tax collector in Matthew 9:9 (NIV). "As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. 'Follow me,' he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him." A dead girl in Matthew 9:18 (NIV). "While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, 'My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." A bleeding woman in Matthew 9:20 (NIV). "Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak." Two blind men in Matthew 9:27 (NIV). "As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, 'Have mercy on us, Son of David!' " A mute in Matthew 9:33 (NIV). "And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, 'Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.' "
Jesus loved people enough to get his hands dirty. He spent time with people meeting their needs. He brought healing and wholeness into people’s lives. Jesus the great physician wasn’t afraid to touch people at their point of greatest need. Jesus the carpenter wasn’t afraid to get sawdust in his eyes or a splinter in his finger as he rebuilt lives. Jesus the great shepherd wasn’t afraid to smell like the sheep he was called to shepherd into eternal life.
If Jesus were a mechanic he wouldn’t mind getting oil and grease on his hands. If he were a roofer he wouldn’t mind the sticky black tar on his shoes and clothing. If he were a fishermen he wouldn’t fret the bug bites, poison ivy, and fish smell. If he were a farmer he wouldn’t mind the hot sun, long hours, and tromping through dirt. If he were a parent no diaper would be too dirty and no mess too disgusting. If he were a garbage collector no trash would be too nauseating to haul away.
Jesus wasn’t dissuaded by the thought of someone blowing smoke in his face, someone splashing beer on his cloak, or someone polluting the air with foul, acrid language. He didn’t avoid the places, environments, and needs that we typically avoid. He engaged people at their greatest point of need, whenever and wherever he could.
Jesus was a friend of sinners.
The Bible says Jesus was a friend of sinners. He loved people. He spent time with them. He rubbed shoulders with them. He met them on their turf, in their homes, in their workplaces, and in their circles. He ate and drank with people, enjoying their company. In Luke 7:34-35 (NIV) Jesus acknowledges the perception this created in his day. "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' " Of course, he wore their petty insults as if they were a badge of honor.
I really appreciate Troy Parish taking time to help us make that video this week. Troy obviously has a heart for our city and is deeply concerned about the needs he sees. I think if Jesus were living on earth today, he would make us all really uncomfortable. He would take us into neighborhoods and parts of town we typically bypass. He would darken doorways that we would never darken, not in a million years.
He would interact with the broken and disenfranchised. He would reach out to the adulterer, the fornicator, the abused, the addicted, the homosexual, the pornographer, the one caught in sin, the incarcerated, those who abort life, the diseased, the mentally ill, the infirm, the elderly, and the disabled. He would touch the untouchables.
He would renounce how sterile we’ve made our churches and ministries. He would say, "Roll up your sleeves. Get your hands dirty. Be compassionate. Love people. Stop making excuses. Stop dismissing the needs that surround you. Stop justifying your inaction. Stop turning a cold shoulder and a deaf ear. Stop pretending to be religious. Become the friend of tax collectors and sinners. Look beyond yourself. Look at the world I love. Be my presence to the world!"
Jesus challenges us to live the way he lived.
Like I said, Jesus would make us all uncomfortable. He’d challenge us to live as he lived. In Luke 10:25-37(NIV) Jesus tells a story that hits a little too close to home for all of us. This scripture says, "On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. 'Teacher,' he asked, 'what must I do to inherit eternal life?' 'What is written in the Law?' he replied. 'How do you read it?' He answered: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 'You have answered correctly,' Jesus replied. 'Do this and you will live.' But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?' In reply Jesus said: 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' 'Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?' The expert in the law replied, 'The one who had mercy on him.' Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.' "
The irony is that everyone in this story is on their way down to Jerusalem to the temple, where they intended to fulfill their religious obligations for the day. They were going to worship God in his temple. They were going to offer sacrifices. They were going to do all the religious things religious people do.
The first man, presumably a Jew, falls into the hands of robbers. The robbers strip off his clothes, beat him up, and leave him for dead. Clothes had a lot of value in Jesus’ day. Most people did not have an extra set of clothes.
Next thing we know, a priest is walking down the road. As he notices the man he crosses to the other side of the street. A few moments later a Levite does the same. Both priests and Levites could easily justify their indifference. They were both obeying the law. It was unlawful for them to touch a corpse and become unclean. In fact, it was believed that if even their shadow passed over the corpse of a dead man, they would become ceremonially unclean. This is why they crossed the road. They each presumed that someone else would tend to the matter.
But it’s the Samaritan who sees the man, takes pity on him, washes his wounds with oil, disinfects them with wine, bandages him up, takes him to an inn, and cares for him. We would all like to think that we would be like the good Samaritan in that story, but all too often we are most like the priest and the Levite. We practice pseudo-Christianity.
We often don't meet the needs that we are presented with.
Instead of meeting the need, we find some spiritual justification to carry on. We extend an empty promise. "I’ll pray for you. I hope things go well. Call me." We avoid the need, crossing over to the other side of the street. Pretending not to notice. Not wanting to get entangled by someone else’s misfortune. Telling ourselves secretly, "They probably deserved it. Their reaping what they sow. The most loving response is to let them learn a hard lesson from the consequences of their choices." We minimize the need, supposing that it is no real big deal. They’ll get over it. "Good luck with that," we say while hardly batting an eye. We pass the buck, hoping that someone else will come along and take care of things. Or we glance at our watches, "I have to be in Jerusalem by noon. I don’t have time. I don’t want to be burdened. I am so busy."
A lot of times we become paralyzed. We say, "That person needs professional help. I don’t know what to do. I’ve never been in this situation." Or we react out of fear, "What if this is a setup? What if someone is laying in the bushes waiting to get me too? What if I get some disease helping them?"
God uses the needs of others to allow us to serve him.
We get no clearer glimpse into our souls than when we are confronted with the needs of others. God often uses people’s needs to show me the ugliness and darkness and selfishness of my sinful, human nature. I’m not proud of it, but I can be honest about it. And I can confess it as an area of growth. I’ve had some shining moments, but I’ve probably had even more times where I’ve used some lame excuse to justify myself and I pass to the other side of the road. In those moments God holds up a mirror and says, "Is this who you want to be? Is this how you want to honor and serve me?" It's never about guilt. It's always about duty and honor. Freely we have received, freely we should give.
James 2:14-18 (NIV) says, "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
There comes a time when all of us must honestly evaluate our faith. Are we dead or alive? If our faith is alive we will be in tune with Christ's passion for people.We’ll roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty. We will get out of our convenient-zone, our comfort-zone, and stop making excuses and justifications. But if our faith is dead we will be indifferent. We will pass to the other side. We will be religious, but fail to be like Jesus Christ.
There are a lot of members whose faith is alive here at Lakeside. Want some examples? A number of members volunteer at Lewis Memorial Christian Village, where they befriend the elderly, meeting practical needs. Sewing nametags on their clothing. Pouring water for them at dinner. Buying cards and presents. Helping with crafts.
Several men are on call each week with an organization called Interfaith Caregivers. On a moment’s notice they go and help the elderly in our community do any number of things. They change light bulbs, fix toilets, buy groceries or give rides to the doctor's office. Things that people find difficult to do for themselves.
A couple in our church volunteers time serving meals at the Ronald McDonald house. I heard a rumor about Troy a while back. He has responded to a call at a residence. Out of concern, he went above and beyond his call to duty and checked back later to make sure everything was alright.
Christ’s passion for people calls us to creatively make the most of every opportunity. Reach out to the people around you. Lend a hand to those who need a hand up. Give comfort to those who are grieving. Give encouragement to the depressed. Visit the sick and incarcerated. Clothe the poor. Feed the hungry. Give drink to the thirsty. Offer wise counsel to those struggling in their marriages or with raising children. Give support to those facing tough times because of alcoholism, domestic violence, addictive behavior, or violence. Show compassion. Get out into your neighborhood. Darken doorways. Make time for people. Become the friend of sinners and tax collectors.
Meet a need, a passion, that God has been placing on your heart.