Before you string me up, or assume me to be a heretical writer here, listen to what I mean. In the NT, we are given to views of how people on Earth can be Jesus to those around them:
"Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—
I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'
"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'
"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.' (Matthew 25:41-45 Message)
And
“Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.” (2 Cor. 5:16-20 Message)
We are Jesus when we serve and represent what Christ it to people here on earth and Jesus is in those same people that we serve and help (or are supposed to be serving and helping). We get the notions at times that we are Jesus helping those without Him, but He shows us that He is in those downtrodden, overlooked people as well. When we stretch out our hands and feet to help those who hunger, thirst and desire-we are doing the right things, being the representative we are called to be.
When I put these verses together, it brought me to the idea I don’t think about too often-that the same faces looking for a chance to survive belong to Jesus. If I can’t love those right here, right now-what does that say about me? If I can’t make time for someone who needs it, what does that really say about my honesty in making time for God?
Do you serve those around you and love those near you knowing that it is like you are serving Jesus?
