"Via Dolorosa"

If Jesus Came...#1

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Have you ever read the poem/song "If Jesus Came to Your House"?
The poem/song asks us to imagine what we would we do if Jesus were to suddenly show up at our door. Would we have to change our behavior?
The kind of behaviors that the song asks about, tho, seem to me, rather trivial. We are asked questions like :

"Would we have to change the radio station?"
"Would we have to hide our reading materials?"
"Would we have to suddenly watch the content and expressions in our language?"

But from reading the above scripture, I can't help but wonder if we would even be able to recognize Jesus if He sudddenly showed up at our door!
Contrary to all the lovely images of Jesus we have no doubt seen, it highly doubtful that Jesus looked like a White European......

Would He be welcome in most of our churches, let alone neighborhoods and churches?

In the U.S. there is a lot of resentment towards the "alien", i.e., the stranger, and the homeless.....

What would we do with Jesus. who certainly would not be a U.S. citizen, and who as an adult, did not have a home of his own? " And Jesus said unto him," Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." " Luke 9:58
How do we react when someome who is not of our class, ou race, our denomination, our political party, is in need?
We can come up with all kinds of excuses to treat others as less, than ourselves, or for ignoring their needs, but if were Jesus, would we would treat Him any different?
It is Jesus Himself who says "I tell you the truth, In the same way way thay you did not show love and compassion for anyone, no matter how unimportant they seemed to you, or, undeserving, or unworthy, you were failing to love Me."

Scary thought.....perhaps Jesus already came, and we turned Him away......

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