NPR is my favorite radio station. In March of 2008, the station aired a segment of StoryCorps, which is a program that records Americans talking about their lives. The hero of the story was Julio Diaz, a 31-year-old Bronx, New York resident. I thought I would share Julio’s story, because so often Christmas is about receiving. Julio’s story is about giving – of himself.

Julio Diaz is a social worker, who takes a long subway commute home in the Bronx, but customarily takes the penultimate stop so he can eat at his favorite diner. On this particularly cold winter night, as Diaz stepped off the platform, he was accosted by a young man with knife in hand, demanding his money. Diaz instinctively handed over his wallet, hoping to bring a quick end to the confrontation.

He began to walk away but called out to the young man, “Hey, wait a minute, you forgot something. If you're gonna be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm.”

The assailant took the coat, but the look on his face told Diaz that a conversation was about to intrude into this event. The young man asked, “What’s going on here? Why are you doing this?”

Julio responded, “Well, I don't know, man, if you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean all I wanted to do was go get dinner and if you really want to join me, hey, you're more than welcome.” The invitation was accepted, and Diaz and the young man entered the diner.

While dining, the other customers, not aware of the weird circumstances surrounding Julio’s dining experience, occasionally passed by the table to say hello to him, for he was just a regular guy. Even the owner, the chef, and the dishwashers stopped by to fraternize.

The kid observed, “Man, you know everybody here. Do you own this place?”

“No, I just eat here a lot,” said Diaz.

He said, “But you're even nice to the dishwasher.”

“Well, haven't you been taught you should be nice to everybody?” asked Julio lovingly.

The young man answered, “Yeah, but I didn't think people actually behaved that way.”

The bill finally came, and Julio didn’t have his wallet, so he looked at his guest and said, “Look, I guess you're gonna have to pay for this bill 'cause you have my money and I can't pay for this, so if you give me my wallet back, I'll gladly treat you.” As Julio tells the story, the young man didn’t even think about it, “Yeah, okay, here you go.”

So Julio got his wallet back, paid for the meals, and offered the young man $20. In return for the money, Julio asked for the knife, which was willingly turned over to him.

I wish NPR had given a sequel to this story, because Julio Diaz is a very special person in my book. His actions are not what I would recommend to anyone reading this blog, but at least Julio was willing to heed Jesus’ command, to give the cloak to those who ask of a coat, “If someone wants to sue you in court and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. If someone forces you to go with him one mile, go with him two miles. If a person asks you for something, give it to him. Don’t refuse to give to someone who wants to borrow from you.”

Merry Christmas, Julio! My prayer is that there might be many, who this Christmas might be inspired and blessed by your story of heroism, bravery, and Christlikeness.

Emmanuel, Christ with us!