Living On the Wall

Let me ask you a question. If someone you knew- casually, not a close friend or family member- had contracted a terminal illness and was about to die, but you discovered the antidote, a one shot inoculation that would cure that person forever, how would you react? What would you do? Would you jump up and deliver that medicine as soon as possible? Would you sit back and watch the person waste away from afar? Would you hold onto that medicine in fear that contact with the sick person might infect you? If you held the key to saving someone’s life, would you step forward and help them?

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Matthew 9:10-13

Friends, I have been thinking a lot these past few weeks about the way we treat people. I think many of you know what I am talking about. We are all guilty of it. There are certain people that we aren’t very cordial with. They might even be people that are getting picked on right now. We don’t go out of our way to befriend them. We are just glad we aren’t the ones being picked on. We are glad we aren’t them. After all, we know we aren’t as big a looser as that person. We watch them get left out, picked on and harassed. We might even step in and throw an insult ourselves from time to time. That person must deserve it to get that treatment, right? We are the good people. We are the Christian kids. They are loosers.

But I have a big reality check for us- everyone, even me (especially me). We travel thousands of miles to help people we don’t even know. We go into neighborhoods wrapped in a garment of the Word and spread the Light to everyone we can. We feed homeless, we visit latchkey kids, we volunteer our labor all in Christ’s name. Question: if we can go everywhere else to make a difference there- in those places- why can’t we be nice to the very people we live with? Why can’t we open our eyes and see that our job as Christians in this town and this school is reach out to those less fortunate and pick them up. We need to risk our own safe spots on the sidelines and move into the battlefield and defend these people. It’s not going to be easy. It’s not always going to be fun… but its what Jesus wants us to do.

We can be sentinels on the wall. We can protect them. We can step up and use our influence to make a better world in which we live.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Ephesians 4:29-31

Jesus came to heal the sick, the broken, the troubled, and the lost. Think right now about the people in our lives that are being bullied. They rarely bare physical scars. But their wounds are just as real. Think about it. They carry wounds on their spirit. They are broken emotionally. They feel troubled about who they are. They are lost in the halls of their own school. Friends, you hold the cure to this disease. All you have to do is reach out in loving friendship and start the healing process. Turn your words from daggers to medicine. Think how great the world would be if we could turn the halls of our school into our mission. But it starts first here.

Lord, let me be a sentinel on the wall. Amen.