Our Savior Had No Home

“Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”  Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” – Matthew 8:19-20 

The summer heat has died down, and the humidity has dissipated and been replaced by the chill in the air often associated with Autumn in the South.  The weather is oftentimes unpredictable as we have all experienced this past year.  Flooding, earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, and winter blasts that lasted well into early Spring have impacted many throughout this year.  We watch the news as they describe the devastation brought upon the buildings, businesses, schools, and residential communities after one of these events.  We’ve seen the debris field left behind afterwards and prayed for those that are impacted and we pray for those that have lost family members.  It’s tragic when something like this happens because if you are in the path of one of these storms it can change your life forever.

The ones we seldom hear about though, are the homeless in these circumstances.  What have they lost should a tornado rip through their cardboard community?  Their wealth and their life belongings fit into a box or a shopping cart.  The roof over their head is often a cardboard box if they are lucky enough to find one.  Have you thought about the plight of the homeless during these catastrophic events?

Our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ was a homeless man for the few years of His ministry.  Sure, His mother and father had a place in Nazareth, but Jesus was seldom in Nazareth after His ministry began.  He called the disciples to “follow Me”.  It wasn’t a request to go on vacation, it was a request to give up their current life and to follow the Messiah, the son of man.  A bold request, that most would spend hours if not days thinking about, before agreeing to.  Jesus called these men away from the comfort of their homes, their families, and their peace of mind.  There were no guarantees, no assurances that He would provide transportation, shelter, or an income.  For these things were not of concern to Jesus Christ.

In towns and villages Jesus, and the disciples, would often stay with one another.  Sometimes it was a friend, sometimes it was a tax collector.  His command to the disciples was to go out among the communities, heal the sick, and cast out demons in His name.  In doing so He instructs them “do not take anything and to stay with others when they come upon a community” (Matthew 10:9-11).  Their nourishment and provisions should not be their concern, for their mission is to spread His grace, love, and salvation.  When they traveled, they looked to the Father for provision, and in doing so became less dependent upon worldly possessions which would only distract them from their calling.

We all become preoccupied with this world and material possessions at times.  When storms roll through and all is lost, it is so easy to fall prey to the evil one and believe that our life indeed is lost because we have nothing.  Take a moment and consider this outlandish idea.  If you did not have a home, car, or a job; all you had were the clothes on your back and shoes on your feet; what would you do for God?  Would you travel from city to city spreading His good news?  Would you look for shelter from a stranger and then share the gospel with them?  I have heard a story of a young man, successful by the world’s standards, who gave up everything to travel America and hand out bibles.  He moves from city to city, begging and working for his keep, and in the process asking for folks to donate bibles, which he gives away to those in need.  This is a modern-day example of what Jesus Christ was asking His disciples to do.  It seems far-fetched and counterintuitive when looked at from the world’s perspective.  Yet, he is not concerned about losing everything to floods, tornados, hurricanes, or wildfires. 

It’s a strange thought I know, but it’s one that we all must face at one point or another – What worldly possession is separating me from truly serving the Lord?  I think about this and often shutter at my answer, for it is worldly by nature.

Be Patient

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
 – 2 Peter 3:9

Let’s face it, there are mornings I wake up and read the news and become completely discouraged with the current state of the world.  I look at the poverty, the wars, the corruptness, greed and scandals; and ask myself how much longer.  Have you been there?  Have you found yourself at times wondering, “How much longer God.  How much longer must we wait for your return?”  It’s so hard to look upon all of the evil in this world and not be overwhelmed by the challenge before us as believers in Jesus Christ.  Daily we hear of violent crimes against children, abuse of spouses, murder in the streets, oppressive governments, incurable disease, increases in homeless and unemployed and the deception of world views on our youth, drawing them away from Christ.  There are days I wake up and feel sick to my stomach as I hear the stories of what is happening around the globe to those that stand up for their faith.

This isn’t a new feeling, as much as it seems to be getting worse each day.  Peter, Paul, Barnabas, John and the others struggled with it in the days of the early church as well.  Recall the circumstances at the time; Jesus had died, been resurrected and had appeared to them on numerous occasions.  Then there came that period of unrest as these mighty apostles of our Lord fought the customs and culture of the time, to propagate a belief in someone that had not appeared in 20 – 30 years.  Preaching the return of Jesus Christ was a part of their ministry, but there had to be a vision that it would be within their lifetime.  Their one on one relationship with the man Jesus Christ led them to this belief as I’m sure you can imagine.  They had experienced His physical presence intimately before He died as well as after His death.  To them it was only a short matter of time before they would all be taken up with their Savior.

Peter’s statement here in 2 Peter 3 is unbelievably difficult to grasp when we are faced with a population of over 7 billion.  We are told in Matthew 24:14 that the gospel will be taught to all nations before the end will come.  Are there remote areas of the world that have never had the gospel shared with them?  Certainly, there are.  Some would say that we should quickly take the message to these remote areas, and then Christ will return.  I don’t believe it is that simple.  I don’t believe you can drop a bunch of bibles off in the remote rainforests to jungle tribes and walk away satisfied that the world is now ready.  You see it’s not a checklist. 

Many of us are impatient for Christ’s return because we are unwilling to fight for His cause any longer.  I have discovered that many are tired.  It is not easy to spread the word and to stand up to the worldly views of atheism and other worldly religions.  By allowing ourselves to be drafted into the world perspectives we see the misery and challenges in the world.  We take our eyes off of the One who is above the world.  Do not forget the God to whom you serve.  If you, like me, believe that God is Almighty, Omnipotent and sovereign than you must also realize that He could step in at any moment and put an end to it.

If God chose for Christ to return tomorrow, I pray that you were in a relationship with Him and that you and I would enjoy eternity forever together.  What a unbelievably joyous day that will be for His children.  Of the billions of people in this world, less than 1/3 profess a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  If God came back today, what do you think happens to 2/3 of the world’s population?  Now ask yourself the more difficult question – Who do you know right this minute that, based on your limited view of their life, will not be taken up at that moment?  There is likely someone very close to you that does not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Perhaps there are many, even hundreds that you know.  Do you have compassion for them?  Do you long for them to find the love and forgiving grace that you have?  Are you okay with them being cast into the lake of fire for all of eternity?

God has incredible patience for them.  We must endure through our selfishness and desire to look after ourselves and focus our attention on those they are blinded by the world.  As the Christmas season draws upon us this year I want you to make a list of those you want to truly see the Christ child be born, and take the action to reach out to them during the next 7 weeks.  Let them find the baby in a manger that can bring them salvation one day.  It will be the greatest gift you can give this Christmas.

Join us on Facebook @ 10 Minute Reader Daily Thoughts or on Twitter @Sondove
If you would like to be added to the email distribution, please send an email here.