Back in the day I had two momentous things happen to me. Firstly I passed my driving test, secondly I became a Christian. Both these things happened within a short space of time of one another. Being young and naïve aged 17, I combined both of these events. I was as really into my new found faith as I was into buying my first car, So I bought a car and a bumper sticker; Jesus Saves.
Now not earning very much I can’t say my car was top notch; I longed for an open top MG but found that I was too long to fit into it and it was too expensive so plumped for a Ford Popular in my price range. Sure it was old, actually very old but it was my car and it gave me a tremendous amount of freedom and had a nice big bumper at the back which proudly displayed my ‘Jesus Saves’ sticker.
At work both the car and the sticker brought a fair amount of leg palling; ‘With a car like that you would need Jesus to save you.’ ‘How many times has he saved you today, cos that old thing doesn’t have any brakes?’ and so on and so on…
But me and the car stuck together and I noticed that the humour was always associated with the car and never with my new found faith. They had discovered very quickly that I had an answer for becoming a Christian and would defend my faith in a way I never quite defended my car. The ‘Jesus mobeel’ and I became great gospel partners.
On occasions I was labelled the ‘do-gooder’, ‘holy man’, and other unsuitable names. Being labelled was and is an experience that needs to be lived through. Being ‘named and shamed’; that is hurtful and in the public domain can haunt you for the rest of your life. At other times, your label (name) can release so much potential and is carried with pride. During different periods of my life I have worked with junkies, delinquents, layabouts, an arsonist, hardman, bag lady and so on…. Negative names linked to people and their activities, ‘he’s a bent copper’, Watch him he’s a thief’, ‘Look out scrounger is about’, ‘Tax collector and sinner’, Pharisee, Teacher of the law.
In our modern age we can broadcast aloud to the whole world both the use of derogatory and inflammatory names as well the activities of people whom we choose to denigrate. Images are published, comments made, and names used to bring people into the spotlight. Blame and shame, pursue and sue, bring down and kick whilst they are there. For some the name will stick for ever, even if innocence is wholly on their side, they are tagged. Many folks in the public arena are tagged, labelled just for being themselves; some court infamy! Innocent or guilty; being tagged and labelled gives a message to you and to the world. Your world might be relatively small, it might be really large, whatever the circumstance being labelled can define who you are, what you are and how you live your life. Whole groups of people, whole societies, and whole countries can be labelled.
A word of caution; be careful not to become a labeller, it may say more about you than you think!
There was a group of people in society who were labelled because of their association with Jesus, the same man on my car sticker. They were called, sinners and tax collectors. Not comfortable names: but according to those who were not sinners and tax collectors, (by the way a powerful minority) being associated with Jesus brought this down on their own heads.
They, the followers of Jesus, had to live through a difficult period of time; being labelled a Christian was in effect being called a sinner!
But in many ways this label was a badge of courage. It made you stand out, different to those around you. It was a transformational honour to be called a Christian; because those who called on the name of Jesus were saved, who no longer lived a broken separated life from God; they were united and part of the family, the church that has Jesus as its head.
My car bumper sticker announced the Good News, ‘Jesus Saves’. But it took me to explain what this meant to those who asked, or ridiculed, or challenged.
Jesus names fit Jesus – for he will save people from their sins. I am a Christian. The name fits and I wear it with pride. Jesus Saves; the car has changed but the words have not.
Photo by Jason Betz on Unsplash
