It was His concern for the individual.
I can hear someone saying, "No, it was because He was the Son of God and He rose from the dead!"
Yeah, well, I'm sure that helped His reputation a lot. But Jesus did more than found a religion with millions of followers. He also cared about each individual person. Centuries before Mother Teresa, Jesus understood what it meant to change the world one person at a time:
- Jesus told stories about a shepherd willing to leave his entire flock in order to find a single lost sheep.
- He called Himself "the good shepherd" who was "willing to lay down His life for the sheep."
- He saw a widow at her only son's funeral and, motivated by compassion, brought her dead son back to life.
- When His friend Lazarus died, Jesus wept, then brought Lazarus back from the dead too.
- Even though Jesus preached to huge crowds, fed thousands, and healed countless people, He wasn't all about crowds and popularity. Despite the hundreds of people who followed Him everywhere, Jesus found time to mentor twelve individuals.
- Even within that tiny group, Jesus had favorites - Peter, James and John - who were with Him during the Transfiguration and also in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest and crucifixion.
- As He was dying, He made sure His mother would be cared for after His death.
- Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends," and then that's exactly what He did.
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