Even If

"The rich man replied,'No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.' But Abraham said, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.' Luke 16:30-31
 
As the debate between a Christian and an atheist began to wind down, the Christian just simply commented that there was no amount of evidence that could be provided to convince the atheist of God's existence. The atheist responded with the comment that if a huge ethereal being greeted him when he walked out his front door, he might consider it. To which, the Christian said, "No, you would just say you saw a hallucination just like you claimed all those who saw the resurrected Jesus did."
 
Jesus made the very same observation about the people of his day with this parable he told in Luke 16. Not even the presence of those raised back to life from the dead would be able to budge their hearts towards God. Jesus was observing that unbelief is not easily overturned. The human will is one tough customer. When it is determined to resist, it will not be "evidenced" or argued into an acceptance of Jesus. 
 
So what are we supposed to do? Love. Serve. Humbly and respectfully. People are not targets or trophies. People are not adversaries to overcome. They are not to be belittled. They are not to be marginalized or disregarded. Hateful words and actions have no place in the Jesus follower's life even if they are hit first. Much of this example of Jesus gets lost when we lose sight of our purpose: to glorify God. Pray for God to show you at least one person today who you can love and serve with humility and respect.   

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