Looking for Jesus

WORDS © Paul Toschi (in response to An Act of Kindness. 40 Days. 40 Acts.)

(Matthew 25:40–45)

I’m looking for Jesus, but I can’t find Him anywhere

I don’t recognise His face on stained glass windows.

Just a sepia picture on the cutting-room floor

and no one seems to know what He’s there for.

Where are You?

I look for Him in the palaces, in the mansions of fame,

but no-one seems to know Him even though they curse His Name.

Maybe He’s on the list of America’s Most Wanted,

but He didn’t even make the bottom hundred.

Where are You?

Okay, maybe He’s in the hospital, healing the sick and the lame,

but no one’s being cured, so they couldn’t tell me.

So many white coats, neon lights and lined faces,

no sign of the warmth that made Him famous.

Where are You?

Down in the city where it’s dark and cold

I searched and found Him sleeping in the rain.

He said, ‘God bless you’, He asked me my name,

but I cried so much I couldn’t tell Him.

Looking for Jesus, I want to invite Him home,

but He might take my car and my possessions.

Why can’t He be like me, employed and clean-shaven,

if only He could meet my expectations.

Where are You?

I thought I’d found Jesus under a bridge, in the city,

but maybe I was mistaken.

The clever guy who knows this stuff says, ‘He’s just a bum,

Don’t waste your time, He’s not worth saving’.

Where are You?

Down in the city where it’s dark and cold

I found Him…