[This reflection by Helen Ruffhead was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 29/Mar/2026]
‘Connect in Faith’ has recently been looking at the names or titles of Jesus and I have been struck by how often these names were given to him by people outside the Jewish faith. It was astrologers from the East who first called him a king (Matthew 2:2) and a Roman centurion who called him Lord (Matthew 8:6).
After Jesus talked with the Samaritan woman at the well, the people from her village invited him to stay with them and he stayed two days (an unthinkable thing for any Jew, let alone a rabbi). At the end of that time the Samaritans said: “We know that this man really is the Saviour of the world”. (John 4:42).
A Canaanite woman, seeking healing for her daughter, called Jesus: “Son of David”, which is another name for “Messiah” or “Christ” (Matthew 15:22). The Roman centurion guarding Jesus at the cross said that Jesus was the Son of God (Matthew 27:54).
It is ironic that the people who failed to recognise him and ended up plotting his death were the people who had devoted their lives to studying the Jewish scriptures which point so clearly to Jesus. Some of the religious leaders, like Nicodemus, did recognise Jesus, but the majority hated him for challenging their traditions and exposing their hypocrisy.
What can we as Christians learn from this? Perhaps one lesson is that those from other faiths and none can teach us things. From Muslims we can learn about approaching God with reverence and the discipline of fasting. We can also be inspired by the Buddhist monks who went on a 108 day Walk for Peace across the US, as well as by the love and care shown within the transgender community and by many people of no faith who devote their lives to caring for foster children.
I believe the best way of ensuring that we recognise Jesus is by seeing him in those around us, as we feed the hungry, help the homeless and the stranger, take care of the sick and disabled, the prisoner and the refugee. As Jesus says in Matthew 25:40
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
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Last Sunday’s reflection: Let’s Suppose that Jesus Came in This Century by Michael Goble
Contributed by Helen Ruffhead; © Helen Ruffhead