It’s the 40th post in the 40 day challenge. Because I posted on the first Sunday of lent, I’ve arrived at day 40 a day before lent ends…. Which means there’s another post coming tomorrow.
But today’s post has been mulling in my mind for a little while. What can I write on the day we remember Jesus dieing? What can I possibly write on a day so somber?
We tell the story of what Jesus did – he died on a cross, betrayed by friends, condemned by people who had cheered as he arrived in Jerusalem, and was laid in a borrowed tomb.
And we know why he did it, right? He died to redeem human kind, to make a way for us to be with God in eternity. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
God so loved the world. That’s a big concept. God loved the world, the whole world. That’s one entity. But its made up of billions of individuals. In the past, I have struggled with holding those 2 things together, that God could love the whole world and God could love me as an individual. It seems so hard to grasp that out of billions of individuals, in the one massive entity, that I could be a received of God’s love.
Then I spent some time studying Jesus walk around Israel. In no particular order, here’s what I discovered:
In John 4, we hear about an encounter Jesus has at a well with a Samaritan woman. The woman sees all the barriers, all the reasons why they shouldn’t interact. He’s a Jew, she’s a Samaritan. He’s a man, she’s a woman. But Jesus, the one with the power, asks the woman for a drink. He treats her as an equal. They have a conversation where she gives him some half truths and he responds with information showing he knows what she isn’t telling him. He knows that she has had 5 husbands, and the man she is with is not her husband – things that at the time reveal either deep shame or deep tragedy (and we never get to find out which). And this is the person Jesus chooses to reveal himself to as the Messiah – to a Samaritan woman with a shady past. Jesus sees past the pain and the mistakes and chooses her anyway. Differences are not barriers and our life isn’t something we need to keep hidden, at least not from Jesus.
In Matthew 8 there is a story of Jesus meeting with a man who had leprosy. The man kneels before Jesus and says “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” And, of course, Jesus reaches out and touches the man with the contagious disease. Of course he is willing. The man is healed. Jesus isn’t put off by the risk of catching the disease. He isn’t put off by the look of the man. He just sees someone who desperately needs help and meets that need.
John 8, a woman caught in adultery is dragged in front of Jesus and us in danger of being stoned. They want Jesus to pass the judgement so they can begin. Except Jesus’ response is to draw on the ground and tell the mob only a sinless person can throw the first stone. And slowly the crowd leaves. No one is sinless. Jesus looks at the woman and tells her that he doesn’t condem her either, and gives her a chance to change and not sin again. Jesus, the only one who can condem, chooses not to. Sins and mistakes don’t define us, God’s grace and love does. That doesn’t mean it’s OK to sin, but it means it’s not the end when we do. God’s under no illusions about us, he sees the sins, but he chooses to forgive and love us anyway.
Mark 5, a story of 2 parts. An important man’s daughter is dieing and he comes to Jesus and asks for his help. On the way, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years reaches out and touches Jesus’ cloak. She is healed immediately, but Jesus stops and wants to know who touched his cloak. He sees her, accepts her and calls her daughter (the only person he gives that title to). After 12 years of being invisible, Jesus gives her an identity, the best identity possible. He claims her as part of God’s family. Then he keeps going to the important man’s house, despite being told that the daughter is dead. When he gets there, he tells her to get up and she does. People of high social standing are of equal importance to Jesus. He has time for low born and high born.
In Mark 10, there’s a story of another man, this one is blind. He sits on the side of the road and hears that Jesus is passing. So he calls out to him. The crowd around Jesus tell the man to shut up, but instead the man calls louder. He asks for mercy. Jesus stops and calls the man to him. Then he restores the man’s sight. When the world told him to be quiet, the man calls louder. And Jesus takes the invite and helps him. If we call out, even if the world tells us we shouldn’t, Jesus hears.
Luke 19, a chief tax collectors called Zaccheus wanted to see Jesus but he was short and not very well liked, so he couldn’t see through the crowd. He runs ahead and climbs a tree, just wanting to get a glimpse of Jesus. Jesus walks under the tree, stops, looks up and invites himself round for dinner. A man of influence meets with Jesus and has a change of heart and gives away most of his wealth. A man hated by the people he lives alongside hosts Jesus for dinner. Jesus doesn’t make the same judgements as society, he meets with everyone who welcomes him.
Luke 5, another tax collector. Levi. Jesus goes up to his tax booth and says 2 words. “Follow me.” And Levi got up and left everything to follow Jesus. He throws a party for Jesus and invites a large crowd of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and teachers of the law complained, asking why Jesus would eat with sinners and tax collectors. Jesus calls, Levi follows. Jesus calls those that society may not value. Jesus sees people who are worth spending time with. He sees the potential and invites them on an adventure. God sees more than the world sees.
Also in Luke 5, we are introduced to Simon Peter. He falls at Jesus’ feet, calling himself unworthy to be around Jesus. But Jesus ignores that, and instead calls him to follow too. Later, Jesus officially gives Simon the new name of Peter, the rock on which the church will be built. Have you ever felt like Peter did, like you weren’t good enough to be around Jesus? Jesus doesn’t think like that, he invites you to do better, to be more. And Jesus gives Peter a new name to solidify his new identity; not someone who isn’t good enough, but someone Jesus can rely on. Yes, Peter still makes mistakes. But that doesn’t change his identity that Jesus gave him.
Whistle stop tour through 9 individuals that Jesus sees and loves. What do they have in common? Absolutely nothing. Different ages, nationalities, genders, statuses, and circumstances. Some called Jesus, others were called by Jesus. The only thing they have in common is Jesus.
God so loved the world, and every single individual in it. Look at the time he spent travelling and the way he interacted with individuals. And when you look at it like that, it’s easier to accept that we are more than just one of 7 billion people who may be easy to overlook. We are individuals who are noticed and loved by God.
Try looking in the mirror and saying this: God so loved me that he gave his only son that I should not perish.
The Reason for my Hope Blog 