Does anybody really care? Did you ask, “Care about what”? Or did you just answer? If you answered “Yes”, what do you care about? Maybe the top five things? If you answered, “No!”, why don’t you care? On the other hand, if you answered, “I don’t know”, are you still alive?
If I ask myself, the answer is “Yes”, I do care. About what? Believe it or not, about you. Otherwise, why am I bothering to write this? Although, maybe a better question there is, why do I bother to publish this? I do learn something from writing it. But actually hitting the publish button – that’s not for me. That’s for you.
Although, sometimes I do wonder, other than a few, does anybody really care that I hit that publish button?
Take those cute Koalas in the picture. Do you know, they probably don’t care about much of anything? They’re so spaced out on Eucalyptus leaves, that’s about all they care about.
Are we the same way? So spaced out on whatever our favorite escape thing is that we don’t care about anything? Not about ourselves? Not about each other?
Does anybody really care?
So that’s why I ask, Does anybody really care? Like, does anybody really care if I hit that publish button or not? I know some do. And no, I don’t need a response from everyone to keep me doing it. But sometimes I just can’t help but wonder.
Not just about me hitting that button. But whether we care about much of anything anymore. Here’s why.
Someone’s knocking on your door
Let’s say, someone knocking on your door. Do you care?
If it’s an Amazon package? Probably. You have to get it before someone else steals it. Because they don’t care that it’s yours and they didn’t pay for it.
Amazon doesn’t even really care if your package is stolen. They build it into what they call “the cost of doing business”. Some accountant estimates the percentage value of things that’ll get stolen during delivery. They that gets built into the price they charge us for everything they buy. So no, they don’t care.
And most of us don’t know what’s happening to us when we buy something, so we don’t really care either. Unless it’s our package. And even then, maybe we only care if we really needed it before the replacement one arrives.
But what if someone else is knocking on your door? Someone special. Someone like what we read below.
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
It’s someone who wants to eat with us. Not only that, it’s someone who, if we really still care at all, we’ll want to eat with. But, will we open the door? Do we care enough about anything to take the time and expend the energy to stop whatever we’re doing, stop spacing out for a moment or two, and open the door?
Do we even care enough to know who that is at the door? Well, I care enough to tell you. After that, it’s all up to you.
To the Church in Laodicea
Rev 3:14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.
Yes, it’s Jesus at the door. You know, the One who cared so much for us that He came here to die so we might be saved for all eternity? That’s caring!
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.
If you’re not familiar with it, this is a letter in Revelation, dictated by Jesus to the people in a certain church. These people, for the most part, shared a characteristic. They didn’t care about Jesus. Could that be you? The thing is, even if we don’t care about Him, Jesus cares enough about us that He’s still trying to get our attention.
I wish you were either one or the other!
This is interesting. Maybe more than a little unexpected? Jesus’ preference is that we either love or hate Him than we not even care about Him! I can think of at least one really good reason for that.
If we hate Jesus, or are mad at Him for some reason, that actually does mean something. We believe Jesus exists. And, for whatever reason, we believe He has the power and ability to be responsible for whatever makes us mad at Him.
Even that is far better than we not even care! It’s a starting point to learn that Jesus does in fact care about us. Much easier than us not even believing or caring about Him.
16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
This, of course, is a warning. A wake-up call. Trying to get our attention that we’re headed for eternal trouble. If we care at all, we have some hope of responding to this.
17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
We may think we’re doing just fine in this life. Plenty of money, nice place to live, have lots of fun, Etc. However, there’s an old saying that we probably remember. You can’t take it with you. And we can’t. We can’t take our money, our home, the fun we’ve had, none of it. It’s all useless in the next life.
18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
My point here isn’t to explain these things now. But they are representative of the things we believe and do here in this life that’ll allow us to be in Heaven in the next life, rather than – well – rather than Hell. Sorry, kind of, but that’s just the way it is.
It’s our choice. We’ve been given the options. If we don’t care enough to choose Heaven, then we have only ourselves to blame.
Rev 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.
This may sound familiar if you’re a parent. Or if you had a parent who said this.
Like I mentioned earlier – Jesus knocking at our door is a wake-up call. He’s trying to get our attention. And sometimes that’s hard. We can be really stubborn. I know I was.
The thing is, this is something we need to take on faith, initially. Eventually, we’ll see the truth of it. Again, that’s just the way we are oftentimes.
It’s another thing I can relate to. I remember one time, after He got my attention, I prayed, “You’re going to have to hit me up side the head with a 2×4 because whatever you’re trying to tell me, I’m just not getting it.” Well, I got it.
20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
And here’s the line we’ve been waiting for. Jesus, standing at our door knocking. Waiting for us to open it.
What we probably don’t realize today is the meaning of I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. It used to be a sign of hospitality to invite a stranger in and have a meal together. For God to be asking for us to do this, it’s just amazing. Unfortunately, this is a custom that’s pretty much lost in most parts of the world, and therefore the meaning behind it is equally lost on us.
Rev 3:21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Remember that thing about “you can’t take it with you”? This is something we can “take with us”. When we believe in Jesus and begin to follow Him, we gain citizenship in the Kingdom of God. And that’s not only something we can take with us, it takes us to eternity with Him.
But, does anybody really care?
OK – after all that, does anybody really care if Jesus is knocking at their door? Specifically, do you care?
After all, you are the one reading this. If you’ve reached this far, you must care, at least a little bit. Hopefully more than a little. But at least enough to open the door for Him!
Why do I care?
Maybe you’re wondering, why do I care? Why did I write this? Why do I care about you? Or anybody?
I often write, or talk about, the Great Commission. It’s where Jesus tells us to care and to do things like this. If you don’t already know the Great Commission, here it is:
The Great Commission
Mt 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
And that’s all true.
However, there’s more. Today, I want to put in more than what you just read. Because it’s about caring. The passage above implies “caring”, but doesn’t specifically say it. But the ones below do. Remember when I said we become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven? Here’s something that happens when that takes place. Something we realize. That’s in the first of the three passages.
The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
Mt 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Mt 13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
In both cases, the analogy to finding the Kingdom of Heaven is that it’s something so valuable that we are willing to sell, give up, everything else we have in order to get it.
Now, we can’t buy our way into Heaven. All the money in the world can’t do that. But we do have to be willing to give up the life we have and the things we have. Not that we’ll necessarily have to literally give up everything, but Jesus must be number one in our lives. Please see How can it cost me nothing but ask me for everything? for more on that thought.
And it’s not like we’re going to become citizens of Heaven and then keep it all to ourselves either. The next two passages show that.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep – Luke
15:4-7 pp — Mt 18:12-14
Lk 15:1 Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Lk 15:3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
Until we begin to follow Jesus, we are all that lost sheep. Every single one of us. And when we’re found, there is rejoicing in Heaven. There’s rejoicing within the Church here on earth as well. And when we become part of that (Capital “C”) Church, one of God’s children rather than a lost sheep, we also rejoice. And want to share what we’ve found.
There’s another parable, not with sheep, but that makes the same point.
The Parable of the Lost Coin
Lk 15:8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Do you see? Same thing. When we realize what we’ve got, we have a need to share it. That’s what love is about. It’s what caring is about.
And that’s why I care. About you. Someone I almost certainly don’t know.
And yet, that’s one more thing we hopefully get to take with us when we go to Heaven. I’d love to meet you. And then we’ll know each other.
Does anybody really care? I really hope so.
How about you? Do you care?
Image by Holger Detje from Pixabay