Column: We should strive to be more like Jesus

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Most Americans are breathing a sigh of relief that the end of the 2020 election is finally in sight. All of us have seen far too many negative political ads and very few extolling the virtues of the candidate sponsoring the commercial.
This frustrating election has highlighted how deeply Americans distrust those who do not share their point of view.
It is appropriate to know what we believe and to support candidates with whom we agree. However, I suspect Jesus would treat those we tend to write off very differently than we do.
Last weekend, Rusty Wirt, the senior pastor of the church where I am on staff shared a message that examined Jesus’ ministry to people his culture had written off. In Matthew 8:1-4, Jesus healed a man who was afflicted with leprosy, a disease which destroyed a person’s health and forced them to practice extreme social distancing between not only those they loved, but almost everything that had been part of their previous lives.

Matthew 8:5-13 tells how a Roman centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant. There was no one in that society more hated than the occupying Roman army. The centurion observed that Jesus need not go to his home but could simply say the word and his servant would be healed. Jesus did more than heal the officer’s servant, he also made this observation about the centurion, “I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” (10, NLT)
At the end of the chapter, Jesus healed two violent demon-possessed men who made their home in a cemetery. Matthew 9:1-8, tells how Jesus cured a paralyzed man whom many probably believed was sick because he or his family had sinned.
As if that was not enough, Jesus added insult to injury when he invited a hated tax collector named Matthew to be one of his disciples. The religious leaders’ reaction was immediate and harsh, “But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with such scum.’” (Matthew 9:11, NLT)
Most of us find it easy to write off those with whom we disagree, and people we believe are different than us. While that is human nature, Jesus’ example shows that it is not the right response. He challenges us to look beyond our differences and see individuals who are loved by God. Will this change of attitude remove our differences? No, but it has the potential to make a difference in us and to change the way we relate to each other. Most significantly, it is always a good thing when we commit to being more like Jesus.
During four decades as a pastor, Tim Richards has served five churches, three in rural Missouri and two in St. Louis. He may be reached by email at iamtimrichards@yahoo.com.