So Where Would Jesus Go?

When one reads the gospels , you are confronted with the people Jesus interacted with. He is one who associated with the outcast,the sinners , the losers , the poor and the hurting. Those who thought they had it all together or the religious He didn't shun but had His most intense language with.

But Jesus growing up in Nazareth would have been very aware of being poor and considered a outcast. Often its said that Joseph was a carpenter and in today's world , those of us who know a carpenter knows very well from the homes many have , the cars they drive , they are not poor. But in Jesus day a carpenter was just a worker with his hands. Maybe he made chairs,common tools etc... but it had no status or economic advantage. Even the town of Nazareth was insulted , for it seemed to have a bit of a reputation.Much like we would think of a trailer park today.

I often wonder if the Church in the west have lost the understanding the gospel is for all . Not just the upper middle class white families living in fancy subdivisions. The blame for this can be laid at the Church growth movement who began to target certain groups of people. Lets face it , no one is going to be able to build a fancy Church by targeting the poorer sections of a town or city. But I guarantee you , those are the areas that Jesus would be preaching.

I'm not saying that the gospel should have barriers , in fact it should be preached and shared with all . The rich,the poor,the weak,the hurting,the arrogant etc.. We have done a big disservice to the gospel when we break it done to target groups in order to build a Church. I don't see Jesus doing that throughout the Gospels. Nor do I see it in the rest of the New Testament by Paul , Peter , James , John . In fact by succumbing to target groups and programs we show our lack of faith in proclaiming the gospel of Christ.

Jesus often takes us to places we don't like or want to go but know this , we never walk alone. So if He had no blinders on His eyes but preached without prejudice to the poor , the needy which we all are in reality , may we do the same . For do we  follow an amazing Lord.