Do You take Jesus with you?

I’d like to address Theists today. Specifically those theists that identify as Judeo-Christian. And the question I’d like to ask is “Do you take Jesus with you everywhere you go?”

OK. Not really, I would not ask such a question. I’ll explain that in a minute. More to the point, what I’d like to discuss is people who actually do ask that question.

If you’ve never been asked the question, stick around long enough and you probably will be. it usually occurs in situations like the following:

You are having a conversation with a friend and you tell them about how the night before you had gone out to some event, usually an event of which your friend disapproves. It could have been a movie (perhaps a secular R rated movie), or maybe a rock concert, or perhaps you went to a party where there was (Oh No!) alcohol. Or perhaps it was none of these. Perhaps you just went to Disney World but you happened to go on the Sabbath (Sunday for a lot of us). But when you tell your friend about your experience you immediately get the question: “Did you take Jesus with you?” (to this event or place).

My answer is always: “Why Yes. Yes I did”. Which usually leaves my friend somewhat taken aback. I’m always left wondering does my friend ever stop and think about what they are truly saying or does their own world view just cloud their understanding?

I am not a fan of this question for several reasons. Primarily it smacks of self righteousness. As if your friend would imply that they would never have taken Jesus to the place you’ve just described. In some instances I’ve even been asked the question with a holier-than-thou air as if to say “You sinner. How dare you take Jesus to such an unholy place”.

However, I always like to assume noble intent (even if I don’t succeed) so let’s suppose that your friend is asking the question in order to get you to think about where you have just taken Jesus. OK. Well my question is “Why do you care?” I never question where you take Jesus. Its not really any of my business. And quite frankly, where you take Jesus is between you and Jesus, not between you and me, In other words, when I am asked this question, my friend is more concerned about me than they are about themselves. And I have enough to worry about with just myself than to be worried about everyone else.

But there is a second reason I’m no fan of this question. Its not Biblical. First of all it is not up to me to either take Jesus somewhere or leave him at home. Jesus says He is with us. Not that we are with Him. Jesus knows that if it were up to us we would all too often go off on our own and leave Him behind. So Jesus made us the promise that He would be with us always. No matter what or where. And secondly, what does my friend think they are protecting Jesus from? Is there any sin that I already have not been forgiven of that I can expose Jesus to? Obviously the answer is No. Jesus himself was accused by the religious leaders of the day of consorting with sinners. They charged him of being with sinners (you can see the self righteous attitude in their accusation). So Jesus himself took himself to where the sinners were. And I for one, am quite grateful he did. Because had he not, I would never have been found. You find lost sheep by leaving the fold and going into the wilderness to search for them. Not by keeping the Shepherd in the fold with all of the found sheep all of the time. You cannot possibly take Jesus anywhere He hasn’t been before or expose Him to any new depths of the depravity of mankind He is not already fully aware of. And thus from a purely biblical point of view why are you even asking the question?

But thirdly I am no fan of this question because it presupposes the asker has some greater knowledge or morality that indeed they do not possesses.

There was a lady in the Church I grew up in. She was a single mom and she visited a bar down the street from her home every week. She literally went to this bar every week for multiple years. And rumors began to spread about her actions in the Church. One Sunday the Pastor called her out and told a story about how she had been going to the same bar on the same day of the week at the same time for well over a year. He told of how her routine was always the same. She would go to the bar and always sit in the same place. She would always purchase a coke. And she would spend the time in the bar praying for the place and the people in it. She would take her Bible with her and she would witness as opportunity allowed to whomever would listen. He also told of the persecution she had undergone. How the owner/bar tender had asked her to leave. How she had the police called on her. How the bar patrons had ridiculed and despised her. And yet she persevered. And eventually over time she won hearts and minds. She began to be loved even as she loved and the regulars at the bar began to respect her and to welcome her. All because she was brave enough to take Jesus with her to a bar.

That lady was a missionary to that bar. And I’m sure all of my friends who have ever asked the question “Did you take Jesus with you to the bar?” would never suggest that missionaries not take Jesus to a lost and dying world. Surely we wouldn’t suggest that missionaries leave Jesus at home when they go to the depths of the mission field. So why would we leave Jesus at home when we go out into the world?

So my question to you today isn’t whether you took Jesus with you or where you took Jesus to. My question to you is “Is the Jesus in you the only Jesus that someone who needs Jesus got to see today?”

Perhaps if we were all a little less concerned about where the rest of us are taking Jesus to and more concerned with showing Jesus to those in need, a lost and dying world would get a little more of a glimpse of Jesus and have their lives changed because of it. So go ahead, take Jesus into the world. It’s better than hiding the light of Jesus in some holier-than-thou sanctuary you’ve created for yourself and are trying to force everyone else into.