I was sitting on the Boston Commons, a busy pedestrian intersection in front of parks and subways stops waiting for a friend. While people watching I noticed an older man in a Steelers jersey, jeans and a baseball hat, walk the center of the intersection, bounce a tennis ball a few times and take out a book. He started to read and yelled so everyone could hear…
“You have heard that it was said ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. Wow, it’s all right there.” The Preacher said.
I cringed a little inside. I thought what do people think of this? What if a non believer came up to me and asked “Do you approve of this? This man screaming in the street at people, do you think this is right?” I cringed a little more. Now he wasn’t angry screaming, he was perfectly calm, but yelling scripture in public none the less. Feeling a little embarrassed for the Preacher and all Christians I figured my answer would be something non confrontational like “I believe in Jesus Christ but I wouldn’t present Him that way.”
But then a still small voice spoke: “Haile, you have done that very same thing.”
And I had. In Uganda I had stood on the corners of busy intersections and preached the Gospel loud and clear like the man before me. For the sake of the Gospel and the people who might come to know the Lord through it, I did what I and probably most people in America think is crazy: Stood on a corner and shouted the Gospel. Like this Preacher I wasn’t angry or mean or condemning, I spoke out of love but either way it is still so taboo.
A few minutes later as I watched Preacher, A man about 30 feet away from him started to yell at him. He yelled questions like “what about all the suffering in the world? What about natural disasters?” Preacher responded calmly to the man’s questions so being about 80ft away I couldn’t hear what he was saying. The man yelled back at Preacher a few times and again I cringed.
I began to pray: “Jesus it is your love that changes all things, pour out your love on these men, on this situation. Just your love Jesus.”
I prayed this for a few minutes and in a few minutes the man walked over to Preacher. The two spoke for a while, and again I couldn’t hear what they were saying, I just prayed for the Love of Christ to fall all over them. They were eye to eye, taking turns talking, listening and nodding, the universal sign for understanding and agreement. After a while they shook hands and the man went his way as Preacher stood in his spot to read some more.
What!? In the span of about 10 minutes I went from condemning a man to realizing I am that crazy guy and I should want to be like him, to feeling embarrassed because he kind of was asking for the fight that just started by putting himself out there like that, to seeing that fight dissipate to mutual respect and peace!
Only Jesus can open eyes this way!
Since being back in America, so caught up in restarting my “real life” many of my experiences on the World Race had been pushed aside. I forgot what I had done for the sake of the Gospel going forth. But now that I am home I couldn’t imagine preaching on the corner! Which is actually really sad. I seemed not to care about the opinions of others…until I got back home. Preacher on the other hand appears to put God’s opinion of him first and foremost.
This is for the sake of the Gospel. This is for the sake lost souls.
Instead of asking “Am I that crazy guys screaming on the street corner?!” I should be asking “Why aren’t I that crazy guy screaming on the street corner anymore?”
