Because God sees no undesirables, neither should we
Excerpt from The Jesus I Never Knew:
“In his own social interactions, Jesus was putting into practice ‘the great reversal’ heralded in the Beatitudes.
Normally in this world we look up to the rich, the beautiful, the successful. Grace, however, introduces a world of new logic.
Because God loves the poor, the suffering, the persecuted, so should we. Because God sees no undesirables, neither should we.
By his own example, Jesus challenged us to look at the world through what Irenaeus would call “grace-healed eyes.'”
– Philip Yancey
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Every day in October I’m sharing a short quote on grace from a favorite book.
“the poor, the suffering, the persecuted, …” and the children, remember the children. That might be one of the Gospels’ greatest innovations. (Plenty of caring for the persecuted in the OT but I don’t think there’s much like Luke 18:16.)
David
I love the concept of grace-healed eyes. Yet it isn’t just a concept…it is a truth for those who are in-Christ. May we live lives from this spiritual truth of having grace-healed eyes .
Well, yes and no. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting – and dealing harshly – with certain gentry who killed children to make a political statement, and who enjoyed the practice of skinning people alive. Along with other activities which I will forbear to mention.
These were certainly undesirables, and it would be a stretch to see them as beloved of the Almighty. Theirs was the choice; I, and my colleagues, the solution, and I have no regrets.
Grace, those we saved, came in the form of hard men who were willing to sacrifice everything, life and future, to make sure that the kids would sleep in safety.
Last paragraph should have read, “Grace, for those we saved…”
Sorry. Fingers fast, brain slow.
Grace healed eyes — I like that for me as well as for others.
Katie shared as I was thinking.
I need grace-filled eyes often as I see my own shortcomings.
Andrew makes good points, too, for the times when justice must trump grace; when the grace-filled thing to do is recuse those being persecuted from their oppressors. God’s judgement and grace will need to take over in the lives of those whose choices are lacking grace towards others, who are inflicting the persecution.
We need God’s grace to assure we are not – towards ourselves or others in any form.
Lynn, you said it perfectly – some graces we simply have to leave to God, because we simply can’t extend them. JC said that some things are impossible for man, after all, but that with God it’s all doable.
So often in the Bible Jesus reached out to those exact people, the ones who society overlooked and would rather have done without. The Samaritans, fallen women, tax collectors even children, whom the disciples would have turned away. May we see as He sees and love as He loves.
I’ve seen this quote before. It is beautiful.