Earlier this week, I saw the meme below on Facebook.
Then at the airport, I saw someone wearing a shirt that said, “Love Like Jesus.” My first thought after reading the shirt was, is the shirt referring to white Jesus, or the Jesus born in the Middle East, brown Jesus. The next thought was the meme above. To me, the first line for each section is something white Jesus believes, with the second line being what brown Jesus practiced.
As we watch and listen to what is happening around the world, around the country, and around our cities, it is sad to see how many people identifying as Christian, practicing the first lines. I know there are people identifying as Christian practicing the second lines, but they appear to be far fewer than is needed. We need more of them to stand up and speak out against the behaviors and policies that are hurting people. To work to change the policies to help the people Jesus would have hung out with, and did hang out with, during his life. Jesus didn’t work to acquire wealth, to keep people down, to ignore the plight of the sick and poor around him. He worked to lift people up, to help them in bettering themselves, and most importantly, for people to help the less fortunate.
So, when you see a person with a shirt that says, “Love Like Jesus,” will you follow the lead of the white Jesus, or the example of Jesus of Nazarene, the true Jesus, the brown Jesus?
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 