If ever there was anyone who walked on purpose, it was Jesus.
When he was twelve years old, his parents lost him while traveling, but Jesus was not lost. Jesus was in the temple talking with religious and social leaders discussing various spiritual and social issues. At the age of twelve, he was both curious and wise.
When his parents finally found him, they expressed concern, thinking he was lost. He expressed his focus: His Spiritual Father’s business comes first. But even in such a tense environment, Jesus promised not to put such pressure on his parents again. All found in Luke 2:41-52
In his thirties, we see Jesus in the marketplace making his business known to the world, influencing fishermen, tax collectors, and all those who were outcasts.
Just as He was at age twelve, Jesus was focused on His mission. From a small group of misfits He created a community of doers, individuals whose lives were transformed.
There is nothing about Jesus that is predictable, or ‘business as usual’. When He walked into a village, the village was turned upside down, for good and sometimes not so good. Jesus polarized. There was no middle ground with Him.
Like any entrepreneur, Jesus starts with nothing and then creates a movement.
The difference between Jesus and other benefactors, revolutionaries, business magnates: Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega. It all starts with Him and all ends with Him.
When a religious leader wanted to be his follower, Jesus made this historic statement: “Foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
Following Jesus is not the latest trend that comes and goes. Jesus even suggested that animals like foxes and birds have a place where they can end their lives, but God is always at work.
Jesus is too difficult to put in a basket, and I believe His followers should be the same, unpredictable, and wherever we tread our feet and proclaim the goodness of God, we polarize the room. People will want to know more or have nothing to do with us.
Like Jesus, this world is not our home, we are just passing through it. As strangers, it is our duty to shine light wherever we go, to be as respectful as possible, and to leave the results to God.
