The mark of a Jesus follower has to do with how to treat those who are different from us.
Imagine for a second that your mate is working a shift at the local café. You know he’s rostered that morning, so you and a few friends decide to head down for brekkie.. But when you get there, you can see straight away it’s a shocker of a morning for him. They’re short-staffed, orders are piling up, and customers are getting a bit cranky. Your mate is clearly under the pump.
Now even though you’re paying customers, what would you say to him?
“Hey, don’t stress about us! We’re all good. Just get to us when you can. No dramas.”
And you’d actually feel glad about doing that, wouldn’t you? Because you’ve just given your mate a bit of breathing room. You’ve made his rough day a little easier
But according to Dr. Richard Beck, the author of the book Unclean, there has been no significant moral demonstration on your part. As Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount, some of which appears in Luke 6, even the pagans do that. Everybody takes care of their own people.
A mark of Jesus followers is how we think about and treat the people who are not our people. It’s when we offer the same hospitality to those who look different, vote differently, or live differently. It’s when we truly see those people as just as valuable as anyone else.
As Jesus said, Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:35– 36)
“Heavenly Father, help me see people like you see them. And help me treat them like you, through Christ, have treated me. Amen.”