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"What would Jesus do?" |
(John 17:20-26) |
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In Sunday's
gospel, we read the prayer of Jesus the night before He died. It is
the longest prayer in the Bible. He says, "Father, most Holy, protect
them which You have given Me. I gave them Your word and the world has
hated them for it. They do not belong to the world any more than I
belong to the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world,
but to guard them from the evil one. As You have sent Me into the
world, so I have sent them into the world." |
This
prayer tells us something very important about Jesus. In it, He tells
us that He and His true followers do not belong to this world. In other
words, this prayer tells us He was a misfit. This may sound strange,
even sacrilegious. We think of misfits as people who are emotionally
unstable. They are suspicious of almost everybody. In their minds the
world is out to get them. Jesus was not like that. He had a healthy
mind. His feelings were not easily hurt. He gave people the benefit of
the doubt. His social skills were without parallel. Yet, the fact
remains that he did not get along with everybody He met. He was not
full of sweetness and light all the time. If that was the case, how did
He manage to get Himself crucified? |
Many
people saw Him as strange, even dangerous. Jesus firmly believed in the
inherent value and worth of every person. This sounds innocent and
harmless, but translated in His day and age, this could and did cause
trouble. Jesus lived at a time when the land of Israel was controlled
by Rome. They were occupied by an alien army. As you might guess, the
Romans were hated, as was everyone who cooperated with them. What does
Jesus do? He heals the sick servant of a Roman officer, and His
instruction about loving enemies included, without question, these
foreign invaders. Tax collectors were even more hated than Romans. They
were held in utter contempt, the lowest of the low. What does Jesus
do? He befriended them, even made one of them His apostle. |
The
law said you were not to get near a leper, stand at a distance. They
were the living dead. They were to live outside of the camp. What does
Jesus do? He reaches out and touches a leper and cures him. Adultery
was the worst sin a woman could commit. It undermined the whole social
structure. We all know the story. They dragged a woman, threw her at
the feet of Jesus and accused her. They have an airtight case.
Whatever Jesus says, He will be in trouble. What does Jesus do? He
writes in the sand. He says, "If you are without sin, cast the first
stone." Does no one condemn you? Then I will not condemn you. |
There
was another group that the people at the time of Jesus stayed away
from—the Samaritans. The animosity was so bad that they would travel
miles out of their way to avoid going through a Samaritan town. What
does Jesus do? He walked through a Samaritan village. He speaks to the
Samaritan woman at a well. Then He goes back to their village to spend
time with them. He even tells a story called "The Good Samaritan." |
Jesus
was a misfit because He never learned whom and how to hate. There are
still people who are outsiders, those who are unacceptable in our
culture and time. In some communities, it is race against race. In
others, it's religion against religion; or the 'haves' against the 'have
nots.' This prayer of Jesus is relevant for us today. He wants us to
live in the world, but not to live like the world, to affirm the
inherent worth and value of every person. Perhaps we need to ask
ourselves, is there any person, any group that I force to live outside
of my camp? If there is, ask yourself another question—what would Jesus
do? |
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Yours in Christ, |
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Fr. Robert Warren, S.A. |
Spiritual Director |
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