I remember a visit to San Francisco
back in 1989, in late August. Our motel
was downtown and I was awed by the crowded streets and busy people! These images have all faded somewhat now, but there
was one man, however, whose image I will never forget. It’s as clear to me today as it was when I
first saw him.
Sitting on a bench near a trash can,
the man had thick, matted light brown hair.
He wore gloves with the fingers cut out, a raggedy, frayed coat, and
looked otherwise unclean and unkempt! I
remember being appalled. He seemed to
be staring at nothing in particular but watching everything all at the same
time. What happened next made my stomach
lurch. A passerby tossed his drink and
remains of a sandwich into the trash can.
The man rose from the bench, retrieved the drink and sandwich and
proceeded to have breakfast!
This man was clearly homeless….and
hungry! I have no clue why he was
homeless, where he came from, or even whatever happened to him. But he stood out and I could identify his
situation immediately.
I wonder, if someone looks at me, if
they can tell I love Jesus? Can a person
just by seeing me, know that? If not, at
least if in conversation, can a stranger know where I stand on my faith? Do I project the image of Christ?
A pastor asked the question once: "When Jonah spent those three days in
the whale when he ran from the calling God had for him, do you think Jonah might have seemed, looked or even smelled a little odd? If I’d spent three days in the belly of a
fish I suspect there might be chemicals from the fish that interacted with my
body that might make a lasting impression!
Could he have lost his hair, had a change in skin tissues or any number
of things that might have made him stand out?" This is the reflection of the man I saw in San
Francisco. His image was a direct result of his circumstance.
It is certain, when Jonah approached the
people in Nineveh, they took notice! Could they determine by looking at him, he was a man of God? Certainly his message did! His
presence and his testimony ultimately led the entire city to repent! God was merciful and filled with compassion
and because of repentance did not destroy the city!
As Christians, we are called to share
the Gospel. We are commanded to be His
disciples in the world in which we live.
Can people trust us to be honest with them about our faith? Can God count on us to tell others about
Him?
There is scripture which says when we
help the least of these, we could be entertaining angels. Could the man I saw in San Francisco be an
angel? Could he be testing us to see who
even notices the plight of the poor and homeless? What if he really was an angel? Should my reaction have been different than
that of horror and well…. Even
disgust? I don’t recall all that I felt,
but even as I think about the event, the very idea of eating food from a trash
can is revolting, ….even disgusting. I
only saw the man from the other side of the road and I doubt he ever saw
me. But what if……?
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