For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ’ Luke 7:33-35

Did you ever wonder why John the Baptist and Jesus had such different lifestyles? John lived a life of strict discipline, frugality and hardship, in contrast, Jesus’ lifestyle was far more ordinary and normal. Jesus lived how most people lived. The reason they chose the lifestyles they did would no doubt have been related to the kind of audience they were endeavouring to reach and relate to.

While John was used of God to challenge the righteousness of the religious leaders, who lived a life of excess and ease at the expense of others. Jesus identified with the common people, the ones who had drifted far from social norms in Jewish society and more importantly far from God. Jesus loved them and related to them by choosing a lifestyle that would remove unnecessary barriers.

Interestingly, both were criticised for their lifestyles, John was accused of being demon possessed, Jesus of being a drunk. The response of the religious leaders, who themselves were hypocrites, warn us that we cannot expect to be applauded for making intentional lifestyle choices to reach out to society. There will always be people who do not understand or approve of genuine attempts to share the gospel and the love of God.

In response to the lives of John and Jesus and the lifestyle choices they made to reach people, let me ask you a question. What choices are you making to reach out to others? How are you living your life to be effective at sharing Jesus with those around you?

When a person decides to be a missionary overseas they make some fairly radical lifestyle choices, and for the most part we applaud them for it, as they study a new culture, learn a new language, change their educational focus, quit their job and career, and leave family and friends behind. How many of us staying at home make anything like these kinds of radical decisions to reach out to people in our own community? Why don’t we? Is it really just those who go overseas who are missionaries called of God, called to make sacrifices in His service?

I can’t imagine life was easy for John, wearing an itchy camel hair cloak, living on nothing but locusts and honey and sleeping among rocks in the wilderness. Jesus too would have struggled with the broken humanity and sinful lifestyle choices of those He was endeavouring to reach. This teaches us that to effectively share the gospel means making sacrificial choices that are never easy. We will need to mix with those who are different, annoying, disappointing, frustrating – sinful! Perhaps that’s why we don’t make radical lifestyle choices to reach others, it’s all too hard and we lack the patience and love needed to touch people’s lives.