One thing that was unmistakable about Jesus was that people liked him. They flocked from all over to hear him speak. And, if you look closely, you'll see that one of the groups that liked Jesus were the sinners. These were the bad folks--the tax collectors, the prostitutes. These "sinners" enjoyed hanging around Jesus... and Jesus seemed to enjoy hanging around them.
Rob Bell says that disciples wanted to be just like their rabbi. This has huge implications for us who are trying to be disciples/followers of Jesus today. People who are "sinners" or who are far away from God should be attracted to us. People should like hanging around us. People who are far away from God should enjoy being with us...and we should enjoy hanging out with people who aren't like us.
I've got to contemplate that for a bit. I want to be like Jesus.
I just had this thought: My wife is really good at this. I know that she is gifted in this area, but people feel comfortable around her and she feels comfortable around almost all types of people. She's good at caring for and loving people. She's a model for me to see this in action. Who do you know that you see this characteristic of Jesus in?
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