Who Is This Man?

Last night I was reading about a man who lived in a desert far away. He spoke a very out of the ordinary language we could not understand today. He didn’t wear pants or shirts, but he wore a robe, kind of like a bathrobe you might wear. He didn’t own any shoes; he only wore sandals. His hair was very long, probably all the way down to his shoulders. He probably had a beard. He ate dates and cheese made from goat’s milk.

When he went from one place to another, he walked or rode a donkey or went by boat. Instead of going to church on Sundays, this man went to the synagogue on Saturdays. And he probably didn’t take a bath very often. He probably smelled very interesting. If you were to pass him on the street, you would probably say, “Wow! What a strange looking man this is!” Can you guess who this man was? If you guessed it was Jesus, you’re right.

As you grow up, you are going to meet lots of people; all kinds of people. When Jesus walked on the earth, he went looking for people who were different from him. He treated all people with love, respect, and kindness. He told us that we should love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves, and he said that anyone we meet is a neighbor.

When you and I meet someone very different from ourselves, we need to remember that we must seem very different from them, too.

God put us all in the world together. God made us all. He wants us to help each other, to love each other, no matter how different we are.

Heavenly Father, help us to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. Help us to do what Jesus did. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen