“Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.” (Mt 21:31 AV)
What a great hope for those of us who are the scum of society! GLORY! The rich young ruler tried to justify himself and claim a right to heaven based on his success in life. According to the Jewish mind, those endowed with earthly blessings by default must be right with God. The more fortunate one was, the more right with God he must be. We all have a little bit of that in us. When misfortune falls on others and it does not on us, then we begin to think all is right with us while God must be dealing with the ones who do not enjoy equal blessings. How naïve! The wicked are blessed because they choose to apply certain biblical principles or they simply profit off other’s misfortunes. This does not imply they are right with God. All the while, there may be very godly people who are suffering at the hands of the wicked who are far more right with God than the rich and powerful ever will be. The battle of the castes is not what we wish to think about today. Rather, we can thank God that despite who and what we were before Christ came, He saved us to the uttermost.
Before I took the church of which I currently pastor, I was appalled at the responses of those who read of the church’s need. We are located in a blue-collar suburb of Milwaukee. We are not rural. We are very urban. We are less than five miles from the Brewer’s stadium. To those not familiar with urban centers, we were labeled as inner-city. Many remarks concerning the pastoral search were negative. Without knowing anything about the church or the specifics of the location, those who called themselves men of God claimed the church would be filled with drug addicts, prostitutes, or the homeless. Several remarks made it seem as though ministering in such an environment would be impossible. First, no matter the situation, each human soul is precious to the LORD. He died for the homeless, drug addict, and prostitute just as much as the country dweller with a nice home, two trucks in the drive, and money in the bank. But more importantly, regardless of how large or small your church is, everyone needs ministry. We have our share of difficult cases. Our doors seem to revolve more than others. But that only means we are far more successful in personal work than the most comfortable and perfect rural church that survives on familial attrition and actual evangelism.
Jesus died for the down-and-out. These people are unique. They come oftentimes with a chip on their shoulder. There is a certain pride they have. It is almost as if they thumb their nose at acceptable society and dare them to deal with their situation. However, it doesn’t take long before the LORD humbles them and they see those who are socially acceptable love them despite their situation and their attitude. To reach those who society has cast off takes time and patience. It takes love which the vast majority are not able to provide. It takes valuing the human soul no matter what the condition. It requires taking an interest in them when the rest of the world pays no mind. We have one such guy who lives a block away from the church. I see him often. Usually, he is walking home from a bar. We talk quite a bit. I am praying for him because he desperately needs the Savior. Most would ignore him. And shame on them. It is these types of people whom Christ died for and are far more likely to take up the offer of grace than someone sitting in a million-dollar home with a six-figure income and no troubles to speak of. GLORY TO GOD!
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