"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. -John 3:17
If Jesus came today...
...He would probably visit Gloucester, Massachusetts to pick up a fisherman or two for His inner circle, then head to China to find an electronics technician to join the group. He'd ask a truck driver in South Australia and a stock broker in New York, before finding two more factory workers in Kenya. None of them would be more deserving of selection than the millions of other workers out there...it's just that Jesus would see something in them nobody else does...an ability to hear Him and love Him.
...in his travels, He would likely stop along the way to eat dinner with a modern-day Zaccheus, a CEO or CFO who's bloated the books but hasn't been caught yet. Those of us who've been Christians for years would be disappointed at His choice, and we'd be skeptical when the CEO or CFO emerged from their lunch to declare their intent to "put things right."
...He would sit for hours with anyone willing to listen, but wouldn't stick around long for those seeking to impress Him.
...He wouldn't be involved in politics or protests. Not because He thought they were wrong, or aren't essential, but because His brief mission would be narrowly focused on seeing the barrier between people and God; His one goal would be to remove that barrier.
...He'd be in church on the Sabbath, but in the marketplace on workdays, and in homes every evening.
...He would tell us that how we do our job is as important as how we worship; that doing more is less important than knowing Him.
...He would shame people who tried to shame sinners; then He would turn around and tell the sinners to stop their wrong-doing.
...He would give hours and hours to nurse the hurts of relief workers in refugee camps, but He would also spend hours and hours listening to farmers talk about their crops, architects talk about the magic of creating a building in their minds, and anyone else who did their job with joy.
...He would mourn the pain of unemployment and be deeply hurt by how little Christians do to help each other.
...He would tell workers to stop stealing time from their employers by not giving their best or by loafing when they should be working. He would tell employers to stop stealing time from the families of their workers by demanding long hours or telling them to "work 'til the job is finished."
...He would stop by our houses to see what we own, then take us to places where people are hurting and ask us what we're doing about it.
...He would visit children, and He would have harsh words for those who ignore their physical needs; but He would save His harshest words for those who ignore their spiritual needs.
...He wouldn't visit the seats of power, but He'd tell us each to pray for our leaders; even those we don't agree with or don't like.
...He would tell us to rest more.
...He would celebrate the fifth day of an alcoholic's sobriety; and the first day of a sinner's salvation.
...He would marvel at the faith of the mother whose child is sick. He would weep at the things sin has caused in Creation.
...and at the end of it all; having seen our fighting and our sins and our excesses and our obsessions and our self-centeredness and our rebellion, He would step up and do whatever God asked of Him to make it possible for us to know God, and to have eternal life...even though that means death and suffering.
...because He loves us that much.
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