Image, Jesus, and New York

"For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." 
-Matthew 25:42-45 

Do any of you follow "Humans of New York" on facebook? I do, I like the different people that he shows and shares. Sometimes I will read it if it looks really interesting, but every once in awhile I am angered by the people who he shares with us. Angered by their hypocrisy, their arrogance their ignorance, their cruelty. Today this was posted;

"People of New York" picture to caption

"I don't have anything personally against homeless people. But I try to avoid getting into conversations with them. Because I may be walking later with one of my influential friends, and the homeless person may come up to me and start acting like we're friends. And how's that going to look? You've got to choose who you're seen with. It's a matter of optics." 

One of the things I really love about Jesus is that 
 He didn't care about His image. Really all He cared about was showing the truth of God to others. Jesus hung out with the socially "unclean" a lot of the time. Not to be "edgy" or for "social justice", Jesus did it to show the people who believed they followed YHWH God that they really were missing the point. That God wished all to hear the truth, that not just the Jews were to be chosen, but rather the Jews were to be the example to the world so they could follow. 
So here's the thing, and I am guilty of it too, the next time you look at some one and think "how's that going to look?" if I go over and talk to them... ask yourself "How's God going to look at me right now?" If you are a follower of Christ you are called to be the witness of Him to this world (2 Cor. 5:20). 
Are you a food feeder? a coat giver? a prison visitor? or are you an image seeker?