Radical Identification, Radical Difference

The single most important characteristic of Christianity and Christians should be love, love that is pure with no ulterior motive, love that is unconditional. Malcolm Muggeridge once said, "That there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents is an antistatistical proposition". Jesus demonstrated such a love for people - valuing each person as someone precious to God. There was no pecking order, no hierarchy, there were not some he reserved better treatment for than others.

Jesus demonstrated love by truly identifying with everyone including the sick, the poor, the marginalized, the weak and the powerless. He reached out to everyone in genuine love and they opened up to him and He touched their lives in a profound way. He demonstrated that there is nothing more valuable than human life. Though He radically identified with people, He was not identical to them but was radically different. He was radically counter cultural and shocked the religious people of His day. This radical difference stemmed from the way He demonstrated holiness. To Jesus, holiness was not just a superficial, keep at arms distance external holiness but a holiness that was internal and made Him approachable. The problem is that often we equate holiness with things that are superficial and external and keep away from people, thus failing to identify with them.

Jesus calls us to radically identify with the world in love and at the same time to be radically different with the world in holiness. We need to ask ourselves: Is my life characterized by religious activity and piety or true love demonstrated to people with inward holiness?

Luke 7:36-50
Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."
Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."