Man of No Reputation

He was a man of no reputation
By the wise considered a fool
For he spoke about faith and forgiveness
In a time when the strongest arms ruled

And this man of no reputation
Loved the weak with relentless affection
And he loved all those poor in spirit
Just as they were
He was a man of no reputation

This past Saturday was the anniversary of Rich Mullins’ death. And seeing all the reflections on social media triggered a memory of how I used to listen to his posthumously released Jesus Record on repeat. I think I might have buried that memory because it was from a pretty difficult period in my life – making the transition from an isolated, painful adolescence to some form of adulthood.

Thing was, I loved Jesus. And I wanted to serve him. I was hurting, but I was doing everything I could to stay close to him, and hoping desperately that he was going to stay with me.

Something about that record assured me that he would.

Perhaps the most powerful song for me was the one called “Man of No Reputation” with the chorus quoted above. Mullins had a way of connecting to the heart of Jesus for those on the outside, on the fringes, for those left out and left behind. And that’s how I felt. But if Jesus was a man of no reputation – meaning, he wasn’t one of the privileged ones, with the world at his fingertips and opportunities galore and resources in abundance – then maybe, just maybe, he was with this boy of no reputation. 

Because of that comfort and resonance during a tough season, listening to this song immediately brings me to tears. Especially this verse:

It was said this man
Brought only confusion
That he’d achieve his ends by any means
And the truth would bring revolution.

And for once they were right
The truth set us free
The hearts of the captives
Were his only concern
And the powerful knew
Their days were ending.

Beyond the personal resonance, this is a truth about Jesus and the world that we desperately need in this hour. Jesus is not concerned with the ways of the powerful – their days are always ending. He is concerned with the hearts of the captives. That’s the revolution we need, the one brought about by the Man of No Reputation who loves the weak with relentless affection.

Listen to Rick Elias sing Rich’s song here: