It's NOT About Me!

In my humble, non-scholarly opinion, John 3:16 is one of the most quoted Bible texts in the world. Churches, schools, bumper stickers, office buildings, government establishments, bulletin boards, bill boards, WWF fighters, and a whole slew of objects such as bracelets, book marks, bobby pins, and even bank checks have had their share of the famous “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” If I were to ask the question, why did God send His only Son? I am sure I would get a dozen theological answers. And all would be correct. However, the answer I like the most is slightly different. Do I like it most because it’s my own? No. I like it most because it’s what makes the most sense to me. “God sent His only begotten Son because it was the best He had.” Simply the best. Better than anything else. Better than anything before us, anything after us. Since the beginning of what we call “time,” there has been a pattern of God giving us His best. This is the reason I don’t understand where we get the idea we must not do likewise. Oh, we give! We love giving. We are so proud of ourselves when we do. It makes us feel happy and Christ-like. Christ-like? Is it really? We love giving our leftovers, old clothes, the time we don’t need, and the money we can spare. Sometimes we even choose those we want to help, and neglect the rest. Is this Biblical? Recently I was getting ready to visit my family in the Dominican Republic. My mother, as her custom is, reminded me to take my old clothes, place them in a separate bag and take them with me. As she often did, she would take these old clothing items and give them to someone who needs them. I respectfully declined. I refused to do that anymore. Instead, I told my mother I was going to gather my new clothes, those I don’t really use anymore (we all have those), and give those away. Isn’t this what Jesus did? Isn’t this what God did? Give His best? Give His only? We know the story well. We know the man who waited for Jesus. Maybe we know him too well because we see him staring at us in the mirror. He knew Jesus was going to come to his house. He cleaned everything. Prepared the best food for a feast he wanted to prepare for the Lord. He wore his best clothes. And ready he was to give Jesus the best he had. Soon after, a thirsty beggar came asking for water, but was denied such a pleasure. Hungry came another, but his food was not for this one either. Naked came the third, naked left the third. Jesus, in His magnificent and glorious fashion as anyone would expect, never showed up. It wasn’t long before the man found out the truth of his character. Jesus did come. The man missed Him because he didn’t understand that “what you have done to the least of these brothers of mine, you have done unto Me” says the Lord. What if Jesus had shown up? And after Jesus had left, these three characters had come with their different needs? Jesus partook of the awesome food and enjoyed it. Perhaps the water was converted to wine. The clothes Jesus had admired. The feet were washed and perfumed. The company was perfect. Then Jesus would have continued on His way. And these beggars knocked on the door asking for water, food, and clothing. The man, wanting to show kindness, gave these the leftovers, the old clothes, and the old wine. The man would have been proud and happy. He had dinner with the Lord and helped some beggars all in the same day. The Christianity meter would be through the ceiling. But, how would Jesus have felt? I wonder. Jesus tells us to walk two miles when our enemy asks us to walk one. Would a warm meal be then appropriate for those who ask for leftovers? WWJD? Perhaps I am not being fair or realistic. Perhaps I don’t understand the concept as it is supposed to be understood. That is a possibility. However, as I look through the pages of the Bible, I find a Jesus who followed a principal I like to call, “Better than Best.” Jesus sees the multitude of 5,000 men, plus women and children. He feeds every single one of them, and has food left over. And we turn around and give our extra to the poor and needy. A storm threatens the life of the disciples and Jesus stands and stops it completely. No soft rain or light drops. No waves. Absolutely no clouds. And yet we help others, not until the end of the problem, but until the end of our willingness to help. Until we feel like it. Not until it's right, but until we feel we have done enough. The old lady gave all the money she had and we treat offerings as a burden and not a joy. We give the least we can and not the most we should. The examples continue: Moses gave his life to the mission, Joseph lived a life of complete service, Solomon asked for wisdom and God gave it to him in abundance, Job received twice as much as he had, Samson regained his strength and used it all, not caring even for his own life. The first Christians believed in the message, went and sold everything they had for the betterment of the gospel. A paralytic needed to be forgiven; Jesus forgave him and cured him in the process. A woman needed water and God gave her life. But He did not stop there as if it were enough. He went and gave the water of life to the people of Samaria, and for the icing on the cake, He stayed with them longer than others wished He had...