A Place for Us

As we move into the pages of John's gospel, it becomes clear without much delay that Jesus came for ordinary folks like you and me.  This is not to say that the powerful and affluent are unwelcome walkers on the journey of faith, but to say that Jesus shows no partiality to people according to the status symbols we use to separate some folks from others.  According to John, the first ones who came to Him were fishermen.  They might have  been successful fishermen, but it is not likely that they were putting up heavy bags of gold from their daily labors.  There was nothing white about their collars!    

In the span of a few pages we see that the affluent and powerful are not excluded from being disciples, but as we see with Nicodemus, it is in some ways harder for them to turn loose a life time of control.  Jesus showed no partiality and this becomes even clearer as we encounter the woman of Samaria at Jacob's Well.  Not only was she a woman, but she was a Samaritan woman and also one of soiled reputation.  She was, nonetheless, still welcome and became one of Jesus' most ardent advocates.  There are many more to follow these few, but they tell us early on that John 3:16 is true.  Jesus came for all and all are welcome.    

Of course, the good news of the story is that this includes all of us.  Some of us may carry the signs of the affluent, perhaps, even the powerful, but the majority of us belong to the unnoticed masses who go about their stuff from daylight till dark.  Some of us are like the woman at the well in that we have brought upon ourselves a host of problems by making choices we should not have made.  Ah, but the good news of the gospel is that there is not only a welcome mat laid out for us, but that we have a place with Jesus.  The cross creates a place for us as we live out our days here and the empty tomb assures us that His promise to prepare a place for us in the life to come is more certain than the sunrise.