Contagious
By Grant Gaines
Yawn. Excuse me. I promise I’m not bored or tired as I begin to write, it’s just that I’ve been reading a little bit on yawning and, well, yawn, it sure is having its effect on me.
Yawning is actually quite fascinating. We are a country who has invented electricity, telephones, automobiles, airplanes, computers, televisions, atomic bombs, and my personal favorite—the chocolate chip cookie. God bless America! But despite all of these technological, economic, and scientific advancements, one particular every-day-body-function remains a mystery to scientists. Can you, yawn, guess which one it is?
Scientist still don’t know exactly why we yawn. It’s not always because an individual is tired or bored, though that sometimes is certainly the case. Some people call it the Eighth Wonder of the World, some call it a modern day mystery, and others call it a good old fashioned conundrum. Whatever title you give a yawn, I believe we can all agree on calling it one thing: “contagious”. It’s one of the most well-know and under-studied facts—yawning is as contagious as a virus. You can be talking to someone in person, watching someone from across the room, watching someone on a TV screen, or even reading an article about yawning and there’s a good chance that you too will follow their lead as they open their mouths wide to begin their yawn.
Do you know what else is an awful lot like yawning? Jesus’ love. No, it’s not boring or tiresome—it’s actually quite the opposite. Some people call it a crazy love, some call it an illogical love, while others call it a scandalous love. Whatever title you give to Christ’s love, I believe we can all agree on calling it one thing: “contagious”. 1 John 4:11 (NLT) says this much when it commands, “Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.”
Because God loved us enough to send His own Son as the payment for our sins, shouldn’t we love others? Or shouldn’t we at least love those who are in the same boat as us—sinful at birth (Psalms 51:5), destined to die for our sins (Romans 6:23a), but saved by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8-9)? Oh wait, that’s everybody, isn’t it?
If the cross, the grave, and Satan couldn’t hold back the love of God, who are we to think that we could hold back the love of God by accepting it for ourselves but not extending it to others? As 1 John 4:20 (NIV) says it, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” In other words, it is impossible to truly love God and without extending that love to others. Impossible.
That’s where we find our main man Peter—once again the center of our spot light for the third week in a row. But unlike the last two weeks, Jesus has ascended to heaven and is no longer with Peter as we begin to read Acts 3.
“One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon” (Acts 3:1, NIV). It was at this point that the disciple duo saw a crippled man who was begging for money and “Peter looked straight at him…” (Acts 3:4, NIV).
“Peter looked straight at him….” Where have I heard that before? Hmmm, let me think. Oh, that’s right! We saw that same look last week as, “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter…” (Luke 22:61, NIV). It was this look of love, forgiveness, and acceptance that Jesus gave to Peter at the point of his greatest failure that reminded Peter that his words, temper, and foolishness may have been quick, but Jesus’ love, patience, and forgiveness was not.
It was this look that gave Peter hope as he heard the condemnation of Satan at the crowing of the rooster every morning. It was the look that was etched into Peter’s mind any time he made a mistake. And it was this look—a look of compassion and empathy—that spurred Peter to give the same look to this man.
“Then Peter said [to the crippled man], ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk’” (Acts 3:6, NIV).
Peter helped the crippled man who was begging for change because Jesus first helped him—a spiritually crippled man who was begging for a heart change. Peter took the time to notice this easily and often overlooked man because Jesus first recognized him—a common fisherman who was overlooked and undervalued by society. And Peter loved this man who had nothing to offer him because Jesus had first loved him—a man who had nothing to offer to Jesus but his sin.
Has God loved you, blessed you, chosen you, or bestowed favor on you? Love others with that same tenacity. Love others with a radical, illogical, Christ-like, and a contagious love. After all, wouldn’t you rather pass on love than a yawn?
“We love each other because [God] loved us first.”
—1 John 4:19 (NLT)
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
©Grant Gaines 2013
