Good Shepherd Lutheran

Let’s Get Started – Mark 7:31-37
We humans are strange, aren’t we? For example, a pastor was once looking through the old church records of a long-standing Norwegian congregation and found that at one time its membership had been listed as: “52 souls and 2 Swedes.”
Why is it we feel the need to discriminate between people based on where they were born, or where they live, or what color their skin is, or if they’re rich or poor, conservative or liberal, blue collar or white collar, golf fans or football fans…? (OK, maybe not the last one!) But God doesn’t show favoritism, and neither should we!
Acts 10:34 tells us that Peter began to speak, saying: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism.’ And James 2:8-9 says, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.”
Everyone we see, everyone we look at, everyone we meet, whether they’re dressed in rags, or in the most expensive designer clothes, are eternal souls in need of God’s love, mercy, kindness and salvation.
Of the many traits Jesus possessed, the one most people remember and admire would be His compassion. He genuinely cared. Life was never too busy for Him to help someone in need. And it didn’t matter who they were or where they were from.
That’s the kind of heart that Jesus had, and that’s the kind of heart that we need! In Mark 7:34-35 it shows us that, with a single word, Jesus opened a man’s ears and loosened His tongue. With a single command, Jesus changed this man’s life forever! It didn’t matter that he wasn’t a Jew. It didn’t matter that as a Gentile he was considered ‘unclean’ by the Jewish community. Jesus looked at this man, saw His need, and recognized Him as a child of God who deserved a chance at a better life.
And once the man was healed, Jesus told the multitudes not to tell anyone about the miracle they’d seen, but they did just the opposite. He told them not to tell anyone and they told everyone! What a contrast that is to the church today. He commands us to tell everyone about what He’s done for us, and we don’t tell anyone!
When we follow Jesus, we have to be willing to go beyond the limits of our comfort, because following Jesus means going everywhere Jesus leads and ministering to everyone. We can’t let the ‘differentness’ of those in need stop us from fulfilling Jesus’ command in Mark 16:15: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
He’s commanding us to preach the Good News. He’s commanding us to share God’s healing. He’s telling us there’s no time to lose, so let’s get started!