The Essence of Jesus Christ

Tonight I saw three women who interacted in a way that reminded me only of Jesus Christ. You know, that guy back from AD 0-33 (give or take). It was a unique combination of individuals: a middle-aged woman with a minivan, a senior citizen who had trouble moving due to age and obesity, and a partially drunk women in mesh clothing and a low-cut shirt.

It's late, so I'll keep this relatively succinct. I was working the Scorpions concert in Concord and after the band had finished and the crowd had more or less removed their drunken selves from the facility, my partner and I took a quick sweep through the parking lot to see if there was any trouble. As event staff, we don't have the same authority as the Concord police, but we are still required to ensure the safety of our guests and the facility's property to the best of our ability.
We noticed an elderly women parked near the exit in a handicap spot. The hood of her car had been raised and she was pacing outside the driver's door. We went over to investigate and she said her battery had died. She requested a car to jump her, but when we radioed in, our supervisor told us that the company cannot use one of its cars due to liability issues. The women told us that she could not afford a AAA pickup. She also went on to tell us that the only person she could call was her son who lived in San Jose. That would meant that he would have to drive about an hour at 11:30 at night to pick up his mother. While that is inconvenient enough for him, that would also mean that she would have to wait in that cold and dark parking lot for an hour. We had to continue our route, so we told her we would be back. I felt terrible that we would not be able to help this women in need simply because of business-related issues.

After I clocked out, I hurried to my car as fast as I could and drove back over to the parking lot where she was located. When I pulled up, I saw a green minivan and a red Poniac (I believe). The elderly woman thanked me for going back out and told me that she had asked the woman in the minivan for a jump. As I watched these women try to bring the car back to life, I kept having a feeling that it wasn't the battery. The ignition wasn't clicking the same way any car I've experienced battery problems usually do. The women in the red mesh shirt and black pants was peering outside of her Poniac's window two parking spots away, cigarette in finger. She opened her door, took on look at the elderly woman's hood and said that it was her alternator. I would never EVER consider myself a car person, but that sounds like something slightly more serious/obnoxious than a battery problem.

One of my supervisors pulled up in a company truck and radioed in for help. However, she was reminded that the company wasn't going to allow a car to jump this lady's vehicle if need be. Even when the lady had called the police department, she got the same corporate answer.

I told the woman that I had come to drive her anywhere she needed to be driven if the car had to stay overnight. I was planning on taking her to a hotel, but was ready to drive her to San Jose if need-be. By this time, the woman in the minivan had to leave. It was nearing midnight and she had a nine year old daughter at a friend's house watching her while she was at the concert. She apologized many times and left. The women in the mesh clothes approached me and told me that she had overheard me talking to the woman and told me she was driving ten minutes away from San Jose and that she would offer to take this women if that is what was required.


Ok, I'm going to try and bring this all back. I drive away from this place at midnight. I leave the scene with this obese and somewhat distressed woman talking on the phone all the while some less-than-modestly attired woman had lit up another cigarette whose embers shown in my rear-view mirror. I do not know if any of these women know God or have a personal relationship with Him. I do not know what the final result of this night was. Heck, I don't even know these women's names and probably will never see them again in my life. That being said, I think Jesus would want to hang out with these women. The minivan and Poniac drivers had no reason to spend a cold night in a parking with this woman. They could have easily said that it wasn't there problem and moved on with their lives. But there's something about the character of someone who puts another's burdens before their own that we admire. I might be speculating, but I would not expect this kind of behavior of the women in the red. Her attire along with the playboy-esque sticker on her car gave me off some somewhat negative vibes. But despite all this, these women saw a need and gave their time for someone in need. Jesus hung out with prostitutes. Jesus hung out with tax-collectors and the broken (both physically and otherwise). I pulled away from a scene only lit up by the few parking lot lamps scattered throughout the asphalt. I pulled away from the unlikeliest of heroes. Even if the plan did not succeed, the character, the heart was there and I admired it.

I will never see these women again, much less know their names. But they have left an impact on my life. Think about the next time you do something selfless. You may be leaving a far greater impact than you ever could have imagined.
With that, I will bid you goodnight dear reader. It has been a fulfilling few months to say the least. My life has been transformed dramatically. But one thing stays consistent, I love you as truly as I have always and always will.

- Ian Charbonnet