JESUS Christ was a real go-getter.
I mean, He was a Man with a message and He knew that. So what did He do? Well, He both sought out people and allowed people to seek Him out. He talked with the woman at the well. He talked with the Roman centurion. He talked with the blind man. He talked with Nicodemus. He sought out lepers, tax collectors, future disciples and doubters while at the same time allowing Himself to be approached by children, scribes, religious leaders, people who were hurting, truth-seekers and otherwise people who had their own agenda.
Now I don't know about you, but I find this immensely challenging, since--for the Christian--Jesus is our primary Example, our moral Examplar. His perfect life is one which we try to emulate, while the Holy Spirit transforms us inwardly to be more like Him. The fact that Christ is a moral Examplar is attested even outside of Christianity.
I was reading a book entitled Batman and Philosophy: the Dark Knight of the Soul, which was written by several philosopher authors. There was a chapter in which even an unbelieving philosopher made the case that Christ is a moral Examplar. If this is true--which it certainly is--then even the way in which Jesus interacted with others, that is, seeking them out and allowing Himself to be sought out, is in iteself an example for us to follow. Christ as the greatest moral Examplar has left that for us.You're probably beginning to realize that this is a post for Christians. There's not much of a point in trying to be like Christ 1) without the Spirit of God working inwardly and 2) without reason--why want to be like Christ at all, if you're not a Christian, since living a good life will mean nothing when your's is over. Now if you have realized that Christ is good, then you must either deny that statement or follow it to its conclusion. Christ once asked a young man who called Him good: "Why do you call me good. There is no one good but God." Since all men are inherently evil and have a tendency toward sin, then Christ is either truly good and thus God or not good at all.
As the late great Clive Staples Lewis said: "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. ... Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God."Are you ready to accept that view? Are you ready to believe that Jesus was and is the Son of God, that He was sent to die in your place, taking your punishment for your sins? Are you ready to believe that He died as He said He would, that He rose from the grave three days later as He said He would, and that you can have eternal life in placing your life under His Lordship, forsaking and repenting of your sins and trusting in Him to save you? If so, then you need to talk to God about it. Ask Him to forgive you. Ask Him to save you. Ask Him to become your Lord and Savior.
With that said, back to the Christian.
We were talking about Christ the moral Examplar providing the example of interacting with people in such a way which is friendly and welcoming. Jesus sought out others and allowed Himself to be sought out. He didn't fail to answer His door when someone came knocking, just because they're probably selling something. No, the people came to Him with their own agendas but He turned the questions on them and made them see what they really needed.
Now it's one thing to talk about all this like theology and all, but what about practicality? Let me tell you about a real situation which has challenged me in this area. It seems like whenever I get a real thought going for some time or if I'm writing on something, a certain subject, then that subject is placed before me, usually as a challenge. I'm not sure why. Maybe God's just gracious enough to start preparing me mentally for something I'll soon be facing.
Anyhow, at work there's this homeless man who comes in and orders a drink. He then gets refills and proceeds to hang out in the establishment all day long. Well, that's unfair. He hangs out for a few hours. There.
Now that doesn't sound too bad, does it? It wouldn't be if that was all. No, the real trying thing about this guy--who some of my coworkers refer to as Beardy--this man is a conspiracy theorist. He's talked to me about everything: mircochips in the backs of hands, the government putting poison in food and drink on purpose, corporations using radio waves to know your thoughts, my own mother signing my birth certificate to enslave me to corporate fiction, charities being a method of mind control, Jesus Christ being a revolutationary who died only for the underdogs as a kind of inspiration for the lower class, that he could become his own god if he wanted to, and that churches are merely hateful country-clubs for of people who "smile at you but would just as soon stab you in the back". His own words.
And this man is hungry for conversation. He prowls for it. He seeks it out. Once I was on eating dinner on our patio and he came out to talk to me, all through my break.
What is my reaction to this man? Well, like pretty much everyone else I work with, I can't wait till he shuts up and gets out of my face.
But hang on a minute, Moses, you Christian you. Is this how I'm supposed to interact with people who are just like the people who came to Christ: hurt, lonely, confused and acting with their own agenda? So what if he's annoying? So what if he's only trying to get me to buy into his thing? How can I act like my moral Examplar would?
In actuality, this all kind of came to the forefront of my mind only tonight. Now sure, there may not be a Beardy where you work or live. But there are people who come to your door. There are solicitors in your area. You see that man or that woman standing on the island in the middle of the street by the turn lane with his or her sign. You see that someone selling something you don't need. You see that Mormon or JW headed for your door. You notice that person wandering the parking lot for loose change or a bite to eat. You may even know that these people have their own agenda.
There's a song by the band 16 Horsepower with a lyric that goes: "Everyone want my attention, everybody got somethin to sell, 'cept you, yeah you..."
And you know, these people may just want a hand out, or a listening ear, or money, or ease, or comfort, or duty, or whatever. They want you attention for whatever reason. But what did Christ do to people who had their own agenda? Ignore them? No! He made them see what they really needed. And in fact, He--thought of all thoughts--downright welcomed these people that were disgusting and annoying and full of their own agenda! He said "Come unto Me all you that are weary and burdened down, and I will give you rest!" Matthew 11:28
There's a reason why Christ is always depicted as having arms reaching out. He reached out.
So then how can you and I show them that what they really need is the Savior of the world? The next time someone wants your attention, don't waste the opportunity. We sometimes work real hard and go out of our way to get someone's attention. Why not use it when you have it, yeah?
A haiku on the way out:
Attention is rare
So use it while you have it
Before they don't care
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