What Jesus Did! 'A Love for the City!' — Luke 7:1

I've lived in the country. I've lived in the city. I've lived in the suburbs. Each has its own rhythm. Each has its own advantages. Each has its own drawbacks. A good bit of Jesus' ministry occurred on the mountainsides or along the Sea of Galilee, but he felt a call to the city. That's where the need was greatest because that's where there was the greatest concentration of people. So, after his time of ministry in teaching in the countryside, he went back to the city to share himself with the city-dwellers who needed God's Good News of hope and salvation. In Luke's gospel, he tells us the story of Jesus' earthly ministry. Then, in the book of Acts, he tells us the story of Jesus' heavenly ministry through the Spirit in the early church. In both cases, Luke reminds us of Jesus' love for the cities and his desire to save the masses. Everyone needs to know Jesus, so no matter where we find ourselves living, I can't help but believe that the Master will place the lost of the cities on our hearts. He calls those of us in cities to share hope, joy, and salvation with those who do not yet know him, and he calls all of us to include full support of efforts to reach city-dwellers with his Good News.