What if Jesus came to earth today instead of 2,000 years ago? Suppose God chose your town as Jesus’ birthplace. Would He have been born in a garage instead of a stable? Would He wear jeans and a T-shirt or clerical garb instead of sandals and a tunic? Even the manner of His execution would be different. But none of that would matter. Jesus, and all that He taught would be the same, regardless of the year, the place or the people.
A typical day might be different, though, with Jesus comforting the bag ladies and appearing at the hospital emergency room, healing accident victims and maybe bringing some people back to life. Many would really be impressed and word about His great miracles would be headline news. He might even be interviewed for a TV special.
But, then, He’d overstep His bounds. He’d begin to forgive sinners. He’d go to abortion clinics telling the abortionists, aborted women and apathetic men that He’d forgive their sins if only they’d repent and sin no more. Well, that’s too much!
Doesn’t He know that sin doesn’t exist in our culture? It’s been replaced by personal choice and privacy. Who does He think He is, trying to impose His morality on us, trying to prick our conscience? So, the ACLU is summoned, whose lawyers do their usual good job of seeing that anything religious is kept as far from daily life as possible, and before long Jesus is condemned to death for being judgmental. He is killed, probably by a physician’s lethal injection, but someone hears His last words: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
Times have changed but Jesus, the Savior, remains the same. He is steadfast in His unconditional love for us, and His invitation is still offered to the abortionist, the aborted woman and the apathetic father.