A 40 Day Journey to Becoming Like the One We Follow
Day 19: Impartial (Matthew 7:1-2)
Money. Power. Fame. Success. Authority.
Jesus is unimpressed.
I would hate to be a celebrity. I remember growing up near Nashville it wasn't uncommon to be in the same area or the same event as a country music singer. You could tell they were a celebrity because people were swarming them.
Celebrity sightings are kinda funny to me. I don't know what I would do if I met one of my favorite musicians, authors, or athletes, but I'd probably freak out a little, too.
But Jesus wasn't like that at all. He called King Herod a "fox." He belittled Pilate's authority, telling a Roman governor that he had no real power. When approached by a "rich, young ruler," Jesus looked on him with compassion and pity but was otherwise unimpressed. The rich and powerful guys are almost always the baddies in his parables.
I'm amazed at Jesus' ability to bounce between social circles like it's nothing. He went to parties with "sinners and tax collectors" and also sat down to dinner with Pharisees. Whether they were the synagogue leader or an outcast woman, Jesus had time for people.
Jesus didn't judge. In fact, we're specifically told he didn't come into this world to judge/condemn the world but to save it. If Jesus was impartial and nonjudgmental, we should be, too. He commands us not to judge others, because we'll be judged by the same standards. He shows us what it looks like to treat all men and women as sons and daughters of God, as our own brothers and sisters, as people worthy of honor and respect.
Jesus was impressed by faith, generosity, hospitality, and love - not wealth and power and influence. May the same be said for us.