Located throughout the Fresh Start Bible, Road Signs are brief and practical teachings from key communicators connected to Gateway Church. These articles illuminate Scripture and inspire spiritual growth. Today we are sharing a Road Sign by Pastor Robert Morris: The Priority of People.

If we could point a video camera at Jesus’ mind and show the footage on a big screen, what would we see? People. People are always on His mind. When Jesus called the fishermen Peter and Andrew to be His disciples, He said, “Follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” (Matthew 4:19). Even as He hung on the cross, Jesus thought about people. 

He thought about his mother’s welfare and asked John to take care of her (John 19:26–27). He thought about the criminal hanging beside Him and promised, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 24:43). And He thought about the people who nailed Him to the cross as He prayed, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34).

Why did Jesus have people on His mind so much?

1. He knew the Father’s heart.

Jesus knew the heart of the Father better than anyone. The Father loves people, so Jesus tried to reach people everywhere He went. At Gateway Church, our motto is “We’re all about people.” Some people ask, “Shouldn’t we be all about God?” Yes! But if we’re all about God, then we should be all about what God’s all about. And God’s all about people.

2. He knew the reality of eternity.

More than any religious leader ever, Jesus talked about the absolute certainty of an impending eternal destination. Every person will spend eternity in one of two ways: communion with God or perpetual torment. Jesus knew that only people last forever, which is why He placed such a high value on human souls.

3. He knew the potential of people.

In Luke 19, Jesus meets a rich tax collector named Zacchaeus and goes to his house. This is an unpopular decision with many people, and they complain, “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner” (v. 7). Jesus was the only one able to see the generous potential in Zacchaeus, and He can see your potential too.

It doesn’t matter where you come from, what you’ve gone through, or how many wounds you have. Jesus never gets bogged down by a person’s past­, because He know His power is always greater! He is radically inclusive of all people: young, old, rich, poor, popular, forgotten, saved, lost, healed, and hurting!

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