While in Northern Ireland, our multi-national missons team stayed in the town of Carrickfergus. One day, we had the opportunity to meet David Hilditch, the mayor of Carrickfergus. When I first heard that we were going to meet the mayor, I thought, "I sure hope I know which one is the mayor." I had this picture in my mind of going to a room with a lot of distinguished looking men and women. I could just see one of us making a blunder like assuming the wrong person is the mayor.
But the mayor was easy to spot. As soon as I saw him, I knew he had to be the mayor. David Hilditch looked like any normal man except for one thing. He wore a decorative necklace with the town seal on it. The necklace was made of gold and cost thousands of dollars. He even let some of us try it on as we sat in the city council chambers.
This caused me to think about spotting someone famous or important in a crowd. How would we know someone is a king, queen or mayor unless we had seen them in the news? We might be able to tell by the reaction of others. Maybe if they were wearing fancy clothes or jewelry? Maybe if the person came in a very expensive car driven by a chauffer? Maybe the person’s face appears on currency.
It can be easy to overlook someone significant, especially if they don’t look the part. Many people never realized who Jesus was when he walked the earth during his earthly ministry. He never really seemed like a king, at least not by the world’s standards. Jesus gave instead of take. Instead of lead a military rebellion, Jesus died on a cross. Jesus socialized with the most hated and despised people in society. He certainly did not act like a king. Where were his servants? Why did Jesus walk around as a common man if he was something special?
Yet people were drawn to Jesus. Life flowed from him like rivers of refreshing water. He acted without fear of man. He taught with authority. He did not play by the rules. He did miracles that people had never before seen. What made Jesus stand out was not his apparel but his character and the works he died.
How do I measure up? Would people recognize me as a son of The King if they saw me in a crowd? Does my life bear the image of Christ? If I never ever wore another Christian T-shirt or cross, if I never ever said another word about being a Christian, would my actions resemble those of Jesus?
