In the movie “My Girl” there is a young lady who is friends with a boy who we would probably describe as a Geek. They were only 11 years old so it was not a romantic movie. He was allergic to everything. Everything! One day he is looking for a ring that she lost and a bee hive they had knocked on the ground still had bees in it. Unaware, the bees started swarming and the result was he died from all of the stings. This was the sad part of the movie. As I watched the movie there were some things I noticed that we could emulate. For instance, she was willing to have him as her best friend. A lot of people would not associate with him. Sometimes she was criticized for doing so. They seemed to be two humans who were opposite of each other and yet had a good friendship. A long time ago Jesus was criticized for having the wrong kinds of friends also. He would associate with the sinners, tax collectors, (Mark 2:15-17) and even the prostitutes. Those who considered themselves as righteous considered Him as one who was of the devil (Matthew 12:25). Surely no righteous man would associate with the likes of these! But He did.

Jesus came into this world to be friends of those who needed Him. Who would need Him more than these people? As Jesus said in Mark 2:17, “…it is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” In the movie, it was sad to watch the little girl as she grieved for her friend. I thought of the time Jesus grieved for His friend Lazarus and his sisters. Usually we grieve for those that we love the most. But not only did Jesus shed tears for His friend but also for the people who would not listen to what He was teaching. I see tears running down his cheeks as he cries out for Jerusalem (the people in it) in Matthew 23:37-39. Let’s make sure that we love and befriend all as did our Savior. After all, isn’t that what Christianity is all about?