Do people see Jesus in you?

Published 7:30 am Sunday, May 15, 2022

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

There’s a story told about a New York businessman who was having “one of those days.” Everything was going wrong. First, he overslept and was running late to get to the office.

This made him late for an urgent meeting across town that morning. He rushed to Grand Central Station to catch a particular train that could get him to his destination just in time.

Seeing the subway’s doors still open, he dashed across the platform. His briefcase, swinging as he raced, hit the arm of a young boy carrying a puzzle. The box flew up into the air and the cover came off. Puzzle pieces went flying.

The businessman heard the final announcement to board before the subway doors were closing. The train was about to pull away from the station.

Then he looked back at the little boy who had tears in the eyes. In that moment, he made a decision to set his briefcase down and started helping the youngster pick up all the pieces.

As the man put the top back on the box and handed it to the boy, the train pulled out of sight. The little boy asked as he looked up at the businessman, “Mister, are you Jesus?”

The story of the businessman and little boy reminds me of a song I heard several years ago, written by Gordon Jenson. “You’re the only Jesus that some will ever see and you’re the only words of life some will ever read.”

There’s an old saying, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much your care.” Too many times, we live in such a rush to get the “important” things done. We miss opportunities to represent Him to those we come in contact with.

Jesus taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves. In fact, he called it the second greatest commandment after loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Jesus gave us examples of what it means to love our neighbor.

“For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?

“When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me’” (Matthew 25: 35-40).

Oswald Chambers once said, “If my heart is right with God, every human being is my neighbor.” Do people see Jesus in you and me by the way we love our neighbors?

— Jan White is author of “Everyday Faith for Daily Life.”