The Mark

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Perhaps sometime today (Wednesday) you might see someone with a big, black, dirty smudge on their forehead. Lest you think they were running late and missed their morning shower or that they just wiped their brow after unloading a load of coal, know that smudge was put there on purpose.

Today many of our brothers and sisters in Christ in other denominations will be marking the beginning of Lent. Ash Wednesday has marked the start of this holy season for centuries. Traditionally Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season are celebrated in preparation for Easter.

I remember one day walking back from class on my college campus seeing a group of students just coming out of a church service (the denomination doesn't matter), bearing the mark of the black smudge. What troubled me was that I knew some of these same students and that what I knew of their lifestyle seemed inconsistent with such a mark of repentance. "What hypocrites!" I thought to myself.

The funny thing about hypocrisy, as the old saying goes, "It takes one to know one."

It may be the case that because of our tradition none of us reading these words will attend an Ash Wednesday service or will receive the mark of the cross on our foreheads. But how many of us will wear a cross necklace to work? How many have a silver fish or clever Christian bumper-sticker on the back of our car? Who will dust and straighten up the Christian artwork hanging the wall in their home? None of these are wrong, but do they accurately depict who we are? What are the distinguishing marks of a Christian believer?

Shortly after a meal with his disciples where Jesus identified Judas as his betrayer, the Master once again told the Twelve he would soon be leaving them. And so, Jesus issued a new commandment to his disciples:

"Love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35, ESV)

Of all the things Jesus could have said about what will make his followers stand out from the rest of the world, Jesus picked love. Love seems to be one of the most generic human characteristics, and yet Jesus says it will be uniquely demonstrated in those who truly belong to him. What's so unique about "Christian" love? Jesus says the uniqueness will be seen in how we love one another.

It's not hard to love. Jesus said that even sinners are capable of loving others (Luke 6:32). But sinners typically only love the loveable. Sinners love if and only they are loved in return. What if God loved us this way? What if Jesus' sacrificial love was given only to those who were loveable? Scripture tells us that none of us are loveable and therefore none of us would ever know God's saving grace (Ps 130:3; Rom 3:10).

So what then is the distinguishing mark of a Christian? Christ-like love. Love that has nothing to do with favoritism or personal gain. How else could Jesus ever love Judas? How else could Jesus ever love you or me? This is love that says, "I put you first, not because you are good or loveable or even of benefit to me, but because I am Jesus' disciple" (Php 2:3)

Smudge or no smudge we know that tomorrow there will be people out there bearing the distinguishing mark of Jesus Christ. Will you be one of them? How will anyone know?

[This post was written for the Cornerstone EFC Around the Corner weekly newsletter for March 9, 2011]