What does Jesus look like?
Spending time with Jesus on the
streets of Harlem
What does Jesus look like? This is something that I've always wondered about. For the longest time all I could come up with was that the pictures of a pale-skinned, well-groomed man were way off. That's not the picture of Jesus that the Bible paints.
What if I told you Jesus looks like a homeless person? A drug addict. A prostitute. Would you believe me? You should. Because it's true. I've seen it. Here's what Matthew 25:34-40 (NIV) has to say:
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
’Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Never have I found this to be more true than while I'm serving on the Relief Bus. I can't help but smile as I'm serving food and drink to those that come to the bus. After all, it's really Jesus I'm serving! I really struggle to put into words the full experience of what happens in those interactions. The only way I can describe the feeling is as a sense of purpose fulfilled. When I'm serving the least of these - giving out food, clothes, and information, being a listening ear, praying with them, pouring out God's love into their lives - I feel fulfilled. I see the Bible come to life. Jesus' words to Peter in John 21 echo in my head - "Feed my sheep;" "Take care of my sheep" This is what I am meant to do. I couldn't do anything else. God has made me to serve. That calling may not always be at the Relief Bus, but for right now, I am exactly where God wants me to be.
I've seen Jesus on the streets of New York City. And I'll never be the same.
What if I told you Jesus looks like a homeless person? A drug addict. A prostitute. Would you believe me? You should. Because it's true. I've seen it. Here's what Matthew 25:34-40 (NIV) has to say:
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
’Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Never have I found this to be more true than while I'm serving on the Relief Bus. I can't help but smile as I'm serving food and drink to those that come to the bus. After all, it's really Jesus I'm serving! I really struggle to put into words the full experience of what happens in those interactions. The only way I can describe the feeling is as a sense of purpose fulfilled. When I'm serving the least of these - giving out food, clothes, and information, being a listening ear, praying with them, pouring out God's love into their lives - I feel fulfilled. I see the Bible come to life. Jesus' words to Peter in John 21 echo in my head - "Feed my sheep;" "Take care of my sheep" This is what I am meant to do. I couldn't do anything else. God has made me to serve. That calling may not always be at the Relief Bus, but for right now, I am exactly where God wants me to be.
I've seen Jesus on the streets of New York City. And I'll never be the same.