Luke 9:57,58
“Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (verse 58)
Jesus lacked even the most basic of human possessions – somewhere to call home (John 1:10,11). He, the Creator of all things, had made Himself dependent upon the generosity of human beings for daily food and shelter. “Though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor.” (II Corinthians 8:9) True, it seems to have been only rarely that He had to make do without a bed for the night. But He had no security, no property rights, and no lock on His front door. At the very end, even His clothes were taken from Him (John 19:23,24).
Therefore, can those who follow Him expect material security? To join Him is to join the outcasts and the dispossessed, the sofa-surfers and the Big Issue sellers – to share in His rejection (I Corinthians 4:11,12). This is no ‘prosperity gospel’…
And how can those who follow Him ignore the homeless in our own streets and the refugees on our own doorsteps? They are the ones with whom our Lord identified during His ministry. We can do nothing less than show our solidarity with them.
“Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (verse 58)
Jesus lacked even the most basic of human possessions – somewhere to call home (John 1:10,11). He, the Creator of all things, had made Himself dependent upon the generosity of human beings for daily food and shelter. “Though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor.” (II Corinthians 8:9) True, it seems to have been only rarely that He had to make do without a bed for the night. But He had no security, no property rights, and no lock on His front door. At the very end, even His clothes were taken from Him (John 19:23,24).
Therefore, can those who follow Him expect material security? To join Him is to join the outcasts and the dispossessed, the sofa-surfers and the Big Issue sellers – to share in His rejection (I Corinthians 4:11,12). This is no ‘prosperity gospel’…
And how can those who follow Him ignore the homeless in our own streets and the refugees on our own doorsteps? They are the ones with whom our Lord identified during His ministry. We can do nothing less than show our solidarity with them.