So twice this week I found myself seated/standing in a closer-than-comfortable distance from people who smelled bad on the subway.  They smelled REALLY bad.

Normally, I would not blog about such a minor thing, but seeing as how it happen TWICE in one week, I think it’s justifiable.

The first time, it was simply really “sour” B.O…probably from not showering in a long time and not washing your clothes even longer.  I was a good 3 feet away and i smelled it.  The second time, I was 2 feet away and it smelled like puke.  I wanted to puke.

As I sat/stood there trying not to breathe, I couldn’t help but think “Why the heck don’t ppl shower?” and I imagined all that bacteria and fungus growing on their bodies (ugh) eating away at them.  (yeah, I know I’m weird for imagining such a thing)

Then I thought about Jesus and the type of people he came in contact with.  (I remember thinking the same thing during my last workterm when I had to deal with really foul-smelling clients at the physiotherapy clinic).

Jesus hung out with prostitutes, the sick, the lame, the rejects of society.  I’m pretty sure a lot of them smelled pretty nasty. 

How can you love and share the gospel to people who smell so bad that being near them makes you drop dead from their scent?  To be honest, I find it really hard to treat people who are “not like me” with the love and respect they deserve.

It’s easy loving those people who have the same sort of thinking as you, who look and dress like you, who have common interests, background as you…but what about those who aren’t easy to love?

How did Jesus do it?  He was completely human, so I think his sense of smell worked fine.

Maybe it’s because Jesus saw through the exterior.  He wasn’t bothered by the smells because when it comes down to it, ALL of us are the same.  The poor, the rich, the good-smelling, the bad smelling.  When you break people down to their simplest “elements”, we all need God and we can’t get to him by our own good work or good looks or good smells.  When Jesus looked at people, he didn’t label them as “prostitute” or “bad person I don’t want to associate with”…He had compassion.