Day 218 No Caste System With Him

August 11, 2015
Day 218

It's all a reflection on me, or so I think

I know so many people and so many of them are amazing.  I know some famous people. I know some significant people. I know some very wealthy people. I know some highly educated individuals. And I want you to know all about these folks and how I know them. Why? I want to impress you. In fact, I will try to slip them into my conversations. I think I am tricky, but if you spend enough time with me, you'll see the shamelessness of my attempts. You will catch me doing this. I try to be modest but sometimes modesty seems far too much work. My Savior operates differently.

When I am with someone who looks visibly needy I want you to be impressed that I am with them but I want you to clearly know that I am "helping" them. I do not want you to put me on their same plane. I am not identifying with them, I am one of their benefactors. I am above them and yet willing to be with them but I have a hard time when you identify them as someone I am like. My Jesus became my brother.

Then there is the God of the universe who took on human flesh. I look on the caste system with horror but internally, if I'm ruthlessly honest with myself,  I think I actually adhere to the stupid thing. Especially when I am not interested in being identified with someone who is clearly needy. But God wants nothing to do with the caste system, absolutely nothing! He associates with people of all statuses and seals the deal when He even identifies with them.

God is not just a friend of mine who choses to give me a hand and help me out with issues. God identifies with me in every area of my life. He took on my sin. The poorest of the poor, the most sinful of the sinful, the ugliest of the ugliest, the most uneducated individual, this is who God identifies with. On the cross He looked like everyone, He identified with everyone. He grieves over the caste system. No matter what the status of an individual was, God identified with them to save them. On the cross He died looking like a criminal to identify with us and save us.

This is love.