How Uber Has Shown Me Christ

“Did you see the latest school shooting? My grandson just started middle-school and it scares me to death. How do we stop this stuff? What’s the answer?”

This was the conversation a retired army veteran and proud grandfather wanted to have with me after hearing that I was a part-time teacher. It only took about 10 minutes for the stranger in my backseat to become a soul searching for answers. Little did I know, this would only be the first of numerous encounters with riders searching for far more than a cheap ride across town.

When I first started driving for Uber, I was slightly fearful of what kind of people I would be welcoming into my car. But what I learned very quickly is that the differences between the riders and me were not as major as I anticipated. Sure, an unbeliever’s lifestyle and possibly even their appearance may look drastically different than mine, but ultimately, without Christ, we are both wandering souls without a shepherd. It may surprise you to hear that I can remember well nearly every ride I’ve ever given. But I am confident that the connection in my mind is only possible because of the way my heart was moved after dropping each of them off at their destination.

In Matthew 9:36, we see the heart of Jesus toward common men and women. The verse reads:

“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.”

This verse shows that Christ was compassionate on the multitude for being, well… common. We also know from Scripture that Jesus is “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:4) So even today, His heart is moved to help common men, not based on who they are, but based entirely on Who He is.

Interactions with common men in my backseat have reminded me of two specific truths:
1. The same miraculous grace needed to rescue each of them is the exact same miraculous grace
that was needed to rescue me.
2. It is God working in me both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)

I am convinced that any compassion I have felt toward the Uber riders in our modern culture is the same compassion Christ felt toward the multitude in Matthew 9. Why? Because the source of the compassion has not changed. Just as Christ was moved to shepherd the souls of common men in the first century, He now compassionately works through His sheep to bring those lost today into the fold. And even though I am unable to see the hearts of men as Christ does, it does not take long to sense one’s need for a shepherd.

So, “What’s the answer?” I wish the grandfather would have asked that question anytime before sitting outside the mechanic shop where I was dropping him off. I would love to tell you that I spent the next several minutes sharing the gospel with the searching man, but I am not sure I could have justified keeping him in my vehicle while Uber was charging him by the minute… Even though this man has most likely forgotten all about that conversation, I will never forget what I learned of Christ’s compassion for the lost world around us. Whether unbelievers be in our offices, our classrooms, our homes, or even the backseat of our cars, let us be reminded that they will only ever love God because He first loves them.

Written by Kris Wilder, Ministry Assistant