Homeless Jesus

Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Matthew 8:20

Jesus the Homeless statue in Davidson, N.C.

I recently saw a story that caught my interest. It seems an upscale Episcopal church in North Carolina accepted a memorial gift of a statue. It depicts a homeless person asleep on a park bench. You can't see the person's face or hands, but you can see the feet, scarred by nails. It's Jesus.

Reaction to the statue has been mixed, to say the least. Some people recognize it as worthwhile art while others are appalled. One lady in the neighborhood actually called the police to report a homeless person sleeping in front of the church.

Here's a link to the story if you want to read the whole thing.

The sculptor intends the statue to be challenging, and it certainly is. It made me think. Because it's a fact. Once Jesus started his ministry, he was homeless. He and his disciples relied on the kindness of strangers for their needs.

If Jesus came to the world today, I don't think we'd find him in our comfortable churches. He'd be in Camden, healing and preaching and praying with those who have nothing. He'd be in North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, bringing hope to the hopeless.

As true followers of Jesus, shouldn't we do our best to bring hope to the hopeless? We may not be able to do what Jesus did, but we can give to the Future with Hope fund. We can go to the Neighborhood Center to volunteer. We can cook a meal for the homeless of Camden and serve it at New Beginnings Church.

Our church members are doing all these things. But we should be able to do even more. What do you think?