“You really have no idea what Jesus was like, do you?
He was nothing special to look at. He could walk down this street todayand not one of you would even notice him. In fact he had the kind of face you would shy away from, certain he wouldn’t fit in with your crowd.But he was as gentle a man as one would ever know. He could silence detractors without ever raising his voice. He never bullied his way; never drew attention to himself nor did he ever pretend to like what vexed his soul. He was real, to the very core.And at the core of that being was love.We didn’t even know what love was, until we saw it in him. It was everyone, too, even those who hated him. He still cared for them, hoping somehow they would find a way out of their self-inflicted souls to recognize who stood among them.
And with all that love, he was
completely honest. Yet even when his actions or words exposed people’s darkest
motives, they didn’t feel shamed. They felt safe, really safe with him. His
words conveyed not even a hint of judgment, simply an entreaty to come to God.
There was no one you would trust more quickly with your deepest secrets. If
someone were going to catch you at your worst moment you’d want it to be him.
He wasted no time mocking others,
nor their religious trappings.
If he had something to say to
them, he’d say it and move on and you would know you’d been loved more than anyone
had ever loved you before.
I’m not
talking about mamby-pamby sentimentalism either. He loved, really loved. It
didn’t matter if you were Pharisee or prostitute, disciple or blind beggar,
Jew, Samaritan or Gentile. His love held itself out for any to embrace. Most
did, too, when they saw him. Though so few ended up following him, for the few moments
his presence passed by them, they tasted a freshness and power they could never
deny even years later. Somehow he seemed to know everything about them, but loved
them deeply all the same.
And
when he hung there from that filthy cross, that love still poured down--on
mocker and disillusioned friend alike. As he approached the dark chamber of
death, wearied of the torture and feeling separated from his Father, he
continued to drink from the cup that would finally consume our self-will and
shame. There was no finer moment in all of human history. His anguish became
the conduit for his life to be shared with us. This was no madman. This was God’s
Son, poured out to the last breath, to open full and free access for you to his
Father.
If
I were you, I would waste far less time ragging on religion and find out just
how much Jesus wants to be your friend without any strings attached. He will
care for you and if given a chance will become more real to you than your best
friend and you will cherish him more than anything else you desire. He will
give you a purpose and a
fullness of life that will carry you through every stress and pain and will
change you from the inside to show you what true freedom and joy really are.”
