We All Belong To God
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me!’”
-- Matthew 25:40
A couple of years ago a friend was truly upset by someone at his church. This person was homosexual and that went against every one of his staunch Southern Baptist conservative views. I’m not going to get in to what the Bible does or doesn’t say. That’s another issue for another day. However, I did remind my friend that the man he couldn’t stand, the one he wanted to just go away and never come back to church, was God’s child. Every bit as much as you or I. That made him think. And pray.
A few months later he told me that the man had started playing the organ at his church. My friend admitted that he still didn’t agree with the other man’s lifestyle but he felt blessed every time he heard that organ play. He said it sounded like something you would expect to hear in heaven. Do you think God was sending a message?
Another man was floored by the nasty comments church members made toward a young couple who had become part of their church a short time before. The couple got in financial trouble and ended up losing their home and land as they filed bankruptcy. I’m sure they made mistakes. So have we all. But to condemn them without mercy, compassion or understanding? And in church no less! Needless to say, that young couple no longer attend that particular church. Where was Jesus in the hearts of those who held themselves up as judges? Couldn’t they see the plank in their own eyes?
We look down on the homeless. We refuse to help those recently out of jail. We don’t like people with tattoos. We shy away from men with earrings and long hair. Or women who wear their skirts too short. I could go on and on. The conservative South is all about appearances. But it’s really supposed to be about Jesus. When did we forget that?
You know Jesus. Our Lord and Savior. The One filled with kindness and compassion. The One who died for our sins. Yours and mine. The One who forgave and saved. Yeah. That One. The One we’re supposed to try and be like.
So the next time you look down your nose at someone who’s different from you, think about Jesus. The next time you’re about to criticize someone who has made a few mistakes, think about Jesus. The next time you’re ready to condemn a sinner, think about Jesus. And everything He did for you. Because we’re never as good as we think we are. We’re never as perfect as we imagine. We’re all sinners saved only by the love and sacrifice of Jesus. Remembering that makes it a whole lot easier to see other folks as God’s children too.
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