#5kMay2018 Day 17

Today I took a nice, leisurely jog around Apple Creek, OH to complete my 5k for the day. I ran 3.1 miles in 25 minutes and 8 seconds, at an average pace of 8:06 per mile.

It was hot! I feel like such a wimp. What am I going to do when the real summer weather comes?! Hopefully my body will be a bit more acclimated by then!

I read Luke 5-7 first thing this morning. Luke’s chapters are long, so there were several passages that stood out to me while I was reading. Probably the biggest takeaway that stood out to me was in Luke 7.

In the beginning of Luke 7, Jesus is approached by the elders of the Jews who wanted Him to heal a Centurion’s servant.

And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” – Luke 7:4-5, ESV

What a funny thing for the elders to say, “He is worthy to have you do this for him…”

In other words, had he not loved Israel or built the synagogue, then it would be fine for his servant to die, but since there is something in it for us, you should heal this man’s servant.

Gross.

But Jesus heals the Centurion’s servant and praises the Centurion not on account of what he has done for Israel or for the synagogue he built, but because of his great faith.

And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” – Luke 7:6-9

Jesus doesn’t seem to think more of him or less of him based on anything that he had done for the Jews. He treated him as a human being worthy of his request simply because he was made in the image of God.

Next, Jesus raises the deceased son of a widow from the dead. This woman had no status, no prominence in the eyes of the people around her. She did have status in the eyes of Jesus. She was made in the image of God and He cares for her. Jesus restored to her the most precious thing in her life, the life of this widow’s only son!

Next, Jesus sends a comforting message to a prisoner soon to die. This prisoner happened to be John the Baptist, a religious radical and outcast.

Finally, the chapter ends with Jesus speaking significance, forgiveness, and peace into the life of a sinful woman who entered (apparently unwelcome) into the house of Simon, a Pharisee whom Jesus was eating with.

What do all of these stories have in common? Certainly not the social status of the individuals involved! And that is what is so beautiful about them!

Jesus doesn’t associate with you ONLY if you are rich, or poor, or religious, or non-religious, or republican, or democrat, or Jewish, or Roman, or American.

Jesus is awesome! How could you not love the One who loves you no matter who you are or what you’ve done?!

*5k Every Day in the Month of May 2018 is brought to you by Jeff Polen Music and Vertical Runner of Wooster. If you are joining the fun, don’t forget about the Facebook group, the Strava group, and the printable PDF.