In the past week, I’ve driven Sandra to work in Newhall each day as my car was being repaired.  Each day as we approach the corner of Orchard Park and Lyons Avenue, there he stands.  A middle-aged man in disheveled clothing is holding a sign.  It’s a large battered sign with a gift-wrap type of bow on it.  In big block letters it simply says “JESUS”.  I guess he’s crazy.

Each day as I passed the corner twice, I would think that I should stop and speak to this man.  Why is he doing this?  What does he do for a living?  What is his religious affiliation?  There is probably a host of other questions that I could or should ask.  They just haven’t occurred to me as of yet.  It doesn’t matter.  I was far too busy to stop.  Besides, I think he’s crazy.

Yet, I believe that this middle-aged, disheveled, possibly crazy man has done more than I have to proclaim the name of Christ.  Maybe he hasn’t proclaimed that sacred name in sane and dignified manner that we have become accustomed to, but whose problem is that?  I don’t think that you can give Jesus a bad name.  Also, as I consider it, if we were to think long and hard about how to state our message in a concise manner so as to be read by a passing motorist, “JESUS” says it all.  Isn’t this the message that the evangelist Philip preached? (Ac. 8: 35)  I could go on and on, but simply stated, it seems that everything that God had to say to man He said in Jesus.  Maybe the reason that we don’t reach more people is that we’ve made the message more complicated than it is.

Well, the van’s fixed, and I don’t need to drive to Newhall again soon.  But I think that maybe I will.  I have a hunch that much could be learned from this crazy little man.  I think it might not be a bad thing if we could all catch a small case of his craziness.  If nothing else, I think it would be good to encourage him to keep his banner flying.

1 Corinthians 4
⁹   For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
¹⁰   We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.
¹¹   Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;
¹²   And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
¹³   Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.