Maybe it’s Jesus

“Maybe it’s Jesus,” Aidan said.

We were in McDonalds – hardly the place for the second coming. And we had just been looking out the window at a changing billboard. I didn’t think the girl sitting on the car in the car-wash ad looked anything like a first-century prophet.

Then I saw the homeless man.

Big hair. Big beard. Surprising clean clothes, the obligatory cart with all that he had in the world piled on. He did look like Jesus … or at least what Jesus would like, if Jesus looked like all the movies and pictures portraying Him. And if He was Caucasian.

The homeless man – Chris was his name – came in and ordered a McChicken and a coffee. I went over to chat.

“My son thinks you look like Jesus,” I said. You’d get some pretty strange looks saying that to most people, but Chris didn’t bat an eye.

“Once I had a picture taken of me,” he said. I didn’t quite know where he was going with that, so I just nodded.

“In the background,” he continued, “was a blue glow. Some kids said it looked like a halo.” That started a long conversation – read, monologue – on ghosts and ethereal electrical phenomena. I couldn’t really stop Chris from talking, and I didn’t much try. Homeless people don’t get to talk to too many people.

Jesus said that whatever we do for those in need, it is as if we have done it for Him.

Maybe more people should look like Jesus.