Have you heard the expression, “Jesus with skin on?”  I once heard the analogy explained in this way and it made a lot of sense.

When Jesus, who was fully man and fully God was born, He literally had skin on – human flesh and blood. He intimately knew what it meant to be us. He understood and experienced hunger, pain, grief, sunshine on His face, exhaustion, fellowship with others, belly laughs, sadness, and joy. Since we are created in His image, we can learn to act like Him as we interact with our fellow sojourners on this journey of life.

So, what might that look like? We see Jesus spending time with people who did not have it all together; like each of us. They lied, cheated and were selfish; they were ill and in physical and emotional pain. He surrounded Himself with those who had mouths like sailors, were outcasts, drank too much and did things they regretted. These are the people with whom Jesus spent a lot of time. People just like us.

What did He do? He spoke to them and treated them as being made in His image. He healed them, fed them, and listened to them. Jesus spoke truth in love and was with them when society rejected and shunned them. He didn’t tolerate sin and pretend it didn’t exist. He called it out and forgave them. He saw them and their potential, and He LOVED THEM.

How might it look for us to be Jesus with skin on? Smile and acknowledge the existence of someone struggling, who might not be as clean as you prefer and might use words that offend you. Jesus loves them. Say hello to teens in the mall who act and dress in ways you don’t like. Bring meals to those who are dealing with a job loss, illness, or death in the family. Give someone your warm jacket or umbrella when they are stuck in the rain. Listen to the one who’s hurting. Seek them out. It is ok to be with people who do not believe the way you do or who do not believe in anything at all. You can introduce them to Jesus. He deeply loves them.

I have learned a lot about being Jesus with skin on from my two children, now almost 24 and 19. One afternoon they came from a shopping center near our home, with stories of the homeless woman they talked to, who poured out her sadness over the loss of her husband. They were young teens at the time and didn’t know exactly what to do, so they bought her lunch, listened to her, and told her they hoped she would be ok. The woman cried because no one else had cared or even seen her.

There is the time my daughter rushed home from 7/11, grabbed a backpack and filled it with non-perishables from the pantry, water bottles, a gift card, blankets, and other items she found in her room and gave it to a man she met who needed help. 

Or my son, who regularly gives money, help or food to those he crosses paths with that could use a hand. That is Jesus with skin on.

It isn’t hard, but it does require us to look beyond the outward appearance and find the one that Jesus loves so deeply, that He gave up His life for them, just like He did for you. My hope is that we all find someone in our spheres to love on – to be Jesus with skin on. May someone, someday, be that for us when we need it.