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I Walked Past Jesus Today by Carl Christopher
I walked past Jesus on purpose - deliberately avoided him. I heard him calling for help in Walsall and turned my face away, hoping he wouldn't see me, and walking faster to minimise the chance of recognition. He was dressed in a scruffy anorak, obviously foreign, with a very dark complexion and a thick Eastern European accent that announced itself to the people passing by like this: 'Beeg Ishew, Beeg Ishew, Beeg Ishew.'
His name is Adrian, he's from Romania - you probably know him if you shop in Walsall regularly. We got chatting one day; he talked excitedly about his forthcoming baptism and about Jesus too. Adrian is a new disciple, a refugee, a vulnerable brother, a 'least of these.' Each time we met, he'd share something new from his Bible, chiding me if I hadn't got mine. The language barrier made it hard at first, but we overcame it as our little chats and prayers became longer, something I had at first conjectured was to do with cultural differences, but which was probably more to do with the loneliness of his life. So, partly due to demands on my time, when I saw him one morning, I just couldn't be bothered to talk to him. That's right, I couldn't be bothered. I had a fiver I hadn't spend at the barbers 'cos the queue was too long, it would've made a nice Christmas present for a young man not used to earning that much even in a long day's work. But the money wasn't the issue, it was the time, the effort and the love it would have taken to really meet his needs. I was tired, I couldn't wait to get home, I was cold, I couldn't wait to get warm, I was thirsty, I couldn't wait for a mug of tay - see how much of 'I' there is in that selfish sentence?
As soon as I made my detour, I remembered what Jesus said, 'Whatever you didn't do for the least of these, you didn't do for me.'
But still I walked past. Still I ignored him. Still I turned my back on a brother even though I knew that to do so was the same as doing it to Jesus. I walked away, heart like stone, and got on the bus.
I hope to see him again, I hope Father will have mercy on me, even though I didn't show mercy to Jesus. I don't deserve a second chance, for such wilful selfishness has got absolutely nothing to do with following Jesus.
Our family is suffering all over the world - and not just in other countries but even in our towns and cities! We weren't born in the western world so we could enjoy squandering our blessings on things that spoil - it's a God-given opportunity to bless and protect others!
Why can't we, at a time of unrivalled prosperity, make it difficult for people to ask, 'If there's a God why is there so much suffering?' Why can't we change the way Church is viewed in our society? Why can't we make it so that, as in Acts, there are 'no needy people among us'? Can we give knowing that we'll gain no earthly reward?
Copyright Adam Harbinson © ^top |
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