Jesus loves me... but do you?
Yes, even a trip to the grocery store can set the theological wheels in motion.
The other week, I took my exit off the highway and found myself behind a car with a "Jesus loves you" bumper sticker.
A bit like this one (though less artsy):
As I drove behind them for a good few minutes, I noticed two thoughts bubble to the surface:
- That's true
- .... But do you?
Yes, Jesus loves me. Do you?
To the person driving in front of me for the quarter of a mile or so that we traveled in the same direction, I'm sorry to write this post at your expense.
I don't mean to criticize you—or you, my reader, if you have a similar bumper sticker. It's not my place to judge or critique your expression of faith.
But if I can jump down this potentially fraught rabbit hole for a moment, isn't telling someone Jesus loves them one of the easiest things we can do? To extend that further, does that require any sacrifice or effort on our part?
Sure, to expend the breath in our lungs to physically say it or the $5.50 to purchase a bumper sticker and slap it on the back of our cars takes some work.
But aren't we skating past the point here?
Jesus didn't lead a life of platitudes and niceties. He led a life of radical love poured out on those around Him. This is not for us to point to and say, "See! He loves you!" It's an example of how we ought to live as faithful followers of Christ.
Yes, Jesus loves me. But is that the point?
I can tell you all sorts of things.
I can tell you that Jesus loves for you. He died for you. He can save you. And any other Christian truth until I am blue in the face.
But what impact does that make on you? Even if you believe, probably very little.
Just look at the story of Job. Job lost everything, and all his friends had to share were 20 chapters of platitudes that fell flat in the face of real grief.
It's much harder for me to tell you that I love you. Harder still to show it.
When I think of the current state of Christianity, I think this lies at the heart of some of its problems. For many, our entire basis as Christians is founded on a "personal relationship with Jesus Christ." This doesn't cost us anything other than the lip service of "accepting Jesus as our savior."
But, again, that's not what the Gospels call us to do!
Jesus does not go from town to town, begging people to "believe in me once and you're in the club." Jesus responds to each person he meets with one of:
- Go and sin no more
- Repent
- Follow me
While Paul did add his own twist (If you believe in your heart and say with your lips that Jesus is LORD then you will be saved), we cannot deny the central command tying each Gospel and many of the Epistles together: we must repent, and we must follow.
What does following Christ look like? We simply need to read the Sermon on the Mount: turn the other cheek, give till it hurts, store up treasure in Heaven, and love those around us perfectly.
In other words, we are commanded to love those around us. Not simply tell them they are loved and move on.