There were two men terrorizing the town. The two men lived in the graveyard on the edge of town and would run out into the street, madly screaming and pounding their fists whenever someone tried to pass by. Everyone considered them dangerous and mad. No one dared come near. You could say that their spirits were unclean. You could say they were demon possessed. You could say they were very sick in the head. You could say that they were poor in spirit. However you considered them, they were best left alone. Some people are just best left alone, most people would say.
But, when Jesus came along and they threatened him in the street, he did not turn away. He did not leave them alone. He cast out the demons. He released the madness. He cleansed their poor in spirit souls, and he cast the madness into some pigs. He served the men when no one else would. Love looks like something. Love serves. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
When the ruler came and knelt before Jesus, the grief and shock was dripping off the cheeks of his face. “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live” the man cried out to Jesus (Matthew 9:18). And, while on the way to comfort this mourning father, a woman touched him, hoping to be healed as the life slowly drained out of her body, drip by drip into red pools on the ground every single day.
“Take heart, daughter, your faith has made you will” he said to the woman (Matthew 9:22).
Life from death was granted again just moments later when the ruler’s grief was turned from tear of sadness to tears of joy as Jesus took the hand of the dead girl, the man’s little girl, and literally lifted her back up into life. Love looks like something. Love cares for those who mourn. Love serves. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are those who are meek, who are so low that they have no choice but to depend on God.
Two blind men were groping around in the world, and Jesus stopped and touched their eyes and their eyes were opened. There was a man who could not speak, and Jesus cast out the demon that was keeping his tongue from functioning, and the man could talk. Previously, these men could not possibly depend on themselves for nearly anything, they depended on God for all blessings, and Jesus served them. Love looks like something. Love serves. Blessed are they.
And, when Jesus was betrayed by Judas and soldiers came to arrest him, one of those who were with Jesus took out a sword and cut off an ear. And, Jesus stopped the misguided disciple telling him that people who live by the sword will die by the sword. “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Had the disciple already forgotten? Jesus continued to explain that he has a task to do, and it has the shape of a cross. Love looks like something. It looks like a cross. It looks like giving it all so that others can live, and have a new life, and have blessing. “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you…” (Matthew 5:11). Love looks like Jesus. Love serves.
A man came up to Jesus and asked Jesus what he needed to do to have eternal life. “What do I need to do to truly live?” he was asking. “What do I need to do to live the ways of God?” Jesus asked if he followed to commandments. He did. Then Jesus told him “go sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” The word here for poor means the “destitute.” He was to give his wealth to those who have no choice but to trust in God and trust in the goodness of others. Jesus wanted the young rich man’s love to looks like something. It looks like a cross. It looks like giving away what you have so that someone else can be blessed. It looks like serving.
It looks like Judah, one of Jacob’s twelve sons found in the Joseph story in the Hebrew Bible. It looks like Judah who says “take me instead” when a supposedly stolen cup is found by the now powerful Joseph, in the sack of Benjamin, the youngest of the twelve brothers. Judah does not want to see his father die of despair. Benjamin, Jacob’s beloved youngest son, cannot be lost to a lifetime in prison. “Take me instead,” Judah pleads. It is a shocking act of love because Judah was the one who tried to get rid of Joseph. But, his life has turned around and he now understands what it is to love. Love looks like something. Love does something. Love serves. It is giving up a part of yourself, or maybe even your whole self so that someone else might live. It is shouting, “take me instead.” “Put me in jail instead, but let him live.”
It is taking up a cross and following Jesus. It is a life of “sacrificial service” or “loving service.” It is living the life of Jesus, who gave up his life for a world who did not deserve it.
Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-28).
“Let them deny themselves…” I know teen who has two younger siblings. He loves those younger siblings. Their happiness is what makes his day. He only wishes that his father would care as much about their happiness. The guy barely works. He is too wrapped up in himself. He is too wrapped up in his liquor. He has been given the gift from God of three wonderful kids, but he cannot see them. The need for a drink clouds his vision.
So, the teen works. He works a lot. He goes to school, then he comes home to help with his siblings with their homework, he gets them food, then he goes to work. You might ask yourself, should he not be enjoying his evenings with friends, experiencing the life and love and joy of those who are in their youth? Is he not missing out?
The truth is, he is. He is missing out. He has missed dances. He has missed games. He is missing out. But, someone needs to love and feed his siblings. Someone needs to make sure they get to school and do their homework. Someone needs to have a sort of love that looks like something; that does something; that denies itself because sometimes there are more important things in this world than late nights by the river with friends, as great at that can be.
Sometimes, we are drawn through God’s love to deny ourselves and follow Jesus.
Sometimes, Jesus convinces us to take up a cross because it has the power to save very real people in very real ways. Sometimes, we deny ourselves so that our siblings can get food. Sometimes, we deny chances in life so that those who are dependent on others can be loved. It is a life of “sacrificial service” or “loving service.”
To be clear, “Sacrificial service” or “loving service” is not a task that we just check off in order to get some sort of heavenly reward, though Jesus promises that our reward will be great in heaven. It is not something that we make sure to schedule in at 3pm on Saturday, though someone may need us at 3pm on Saturday. “Sacrificial service” or “loving service” is living life to its fullest. It is the way of Christ-like love.
After-all, love is not just a feeling. Love looks like something. Love does something. Love is willing to throw away everything to which we cling, so that we can cling to that which is eternal. Love is taking up a cross, it is taking valuable time, it is taking all that has been given to us in this life, and using it to bless someone else.
Blessed are the pure in heart, who desire to see God. Blessed are those who care. Blessed are those who love. Blessed are those who follow Jesus and his cross. Blessed are those who hear Jesus voice, leading us toward “Sacrificial service” or “loving service.”
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