Like Jesus, We Should Be Misfits in This World

Recently I watched a few minutes of the holiday classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. If you’re familiar with the story, you know part of the theme has to do with being different. Rudolph didn’t fit in due to his shiny red nose. Herbie the elf was likewise snubbed because of his desire to be a dentist rather than a toymaker. There was even an island of misfit toys filled with playthings which were flawed or unusual in some way. One of the lessons of the tale is that it’s acceptable to be different. One’s uniqueness can even be a positive quality, as Rudolph’s nose illustrated when it “saved the day” by allowing Santa to drive his sleigh in spite of the bad weather.

As we celebrate the birth of Christ, we’re reminded that He was also a misfit in this world. He was definitely different – the unique combination of being fully God and fully human. He stood out as different, sometimes in ways that people didn’t like and ridiculed. And the very qualities that made Jesus different are what led to His bringing the salvation we all needed. The fact that He didn’t fit in with this world was one of the reasons He was rejected and put to death. Jesus being a misfit wasn’t due to His being flawed in any way. On the contrary, it was the result of the world being flawed in the presence of His purity and goodness. The Apostle John describes Him as being the light shining in the darkness (John 1:5). Jesus didn’t come to blend in with the darkness. No, He came to be a light to penetrate the darkness. As the light, Jesus illuminated and enlightened. He revealed the way things really were. He showed more clearly what God is like, as well as revealing what people are like, including exposing any sin in their lives. The holy God-man was quite a contrast to a spiritually-corrupt world.

 All of us have probably felt like we didn’t fit in at some point in our lives. That’s just part of our common experience as humans in this world. However, as followers of Jesus, we should be misfits in some ways, similar to Jesus’ experience. Unlike Him, we have our flaws, and even our shortcomings and sins. However, God’s Word stresses that we’re not “of the world” (John 17:14) and we are not to allow ourselves to be fitted into the mold of this world (Romans 12:2). As Jesus was the light, He said that we also are to be lights in this world (Matthew 5:14). Likewise, we are to be making progress in becoming more holy and more like Jesus, which will make us stand out as different from an ungodly world. So not only should we expect to be misfits if we are faithfully following Jesus, but we should be concerned if we find ourselves failing to live up to that description. If we’re letting the light of Christ shine through us, we’re going to stand out as being different – in ways that some people will like and in ways that some people will despise.

At one point Rudolph’s parents tried to hide his uniqueness with a fake nose so that he wouldn’t be shunned by others. Maybe we’re tempted to hide our lights in order to try to fit in better or to avoid the fallout from others. However, we need to fulfill our calling to be a holy people, a Christlike example, and a truth-telling witness for the Lord. Be willing to be a misfit in this world in order for the darkness to experience the life-giving light.