Prejudice. Does society know of a more impenetrable wall, of one with a deeper foundation? Since the inception of time, humans have shamelessly based their acceptance of others off of an array of external factors. Appearance, popular status, belief, and behavior are just a few of our favorites. At first glance, the barriers we build around ourselves and our neatly crafted social groups seem to shield us from the discomfort and apprehension that what lies beyond these barriers may bring. But then . . . we’re trapped in a world where everyone looks, thinks, and acts as we do. The familiar sights we once cherished become vile portraits of monotony. Deep down, we thirst for an escape, but our all-consuming animosities against the outside world seal even the smallest of cracks in the wall that imprisons us.
Astonishingly,
(or maybe not so astonishingly) Christians have a reputation for their
alienation, and it often comes off as unyielding hate. I think most of us have
good intentions. (At least, I hope most of us have good intentions.) We want to
“Surround ourselves with Godly influences” or “Abstain from worldly practices.”
And that’s wonderful. You should have a spiritual support system, and there are
probably certain things that you should avoid. But personally, I think there
comes a point when these “good intentions” take a backseat to our unjustified
inhibitions. These inhibitions dictate the way we think, and the way we act.
They cause us to look at people for “what” they are instead of who they are,
and more importantly- the one who created them. They cause our churches to
become hostile country clubs- the utter opposite of what they were intended to
be. (But hey, the guy who prays the most gets the best seat!) They hinder us
from our mission to be light in the darkness- because somehow, we have become
enveloped in the darkness itself. Often, however, we’re far too blind to see
it.
As much as
we like to believe that God shares our personal prejudices, The Bible clearly
illustrates that He does not. John 4 tells the story of Jesus and a Samaritan
woman- two people who were never supposed to cross paths.
But they
did. Quite intentionally, I might add.
The
Samaritan woman journeyed out into the intense heat of the day to gather water
from the village well. Although water-gathering was considered a highly social
activity, this weary woman was alone- most likely because of her
less-than-ideal status as a woman who had been married five times and was
living with a man who wasn’t her husband. As she drew from the well, Jesus
embraced this outcast as someone He loved dearly. He looked past social rituals
and offered her the promise of living water- of abundant life like a bubbling
spring. Almost instantly, she abandoned her task in sheer elation and rushed
back to her village to share with others the hope she had discovered. An act of
bold compassion brought out the life stored within her; it liberated multitudes
from the bondage of discrimination and into the freedom of eternal acceptance. (Remarkably, Jesus did not become an
adulterous woman in the process.)
God’s
disapproval of unwarranted human prejudices goes back even further than this
profound narrative. Early in the Old Testament, we find the story of the Battle
of Jericho. I know what all of you bible scholars out there are thinking:
“Wait! That was when the Israelites marched around six times and then God
destroyed the city. What does that have to do with prejudice?” Well, your
second-grade Sunday school teacher may have left out the fact that Joshua and
his spies, on whom the entire mission rested, were sheltered in the house of
Rahab . . . a prostitute. What if Joshua and his men had looked only at her
inequity, and not at her potential? What if they hadn’t trusted that God was going
to use her for His purposes? The walls of Jericho may still be standing.
And Rahab
may have never become a part of the genealogy of Jesus, the one who came to
tear down all walls that persist in dividing us.
We say
Jesus has shattered the barriers of our hearts. But do we live as if He has? Do
we follow the warning words of James, who asserts that appearances are more
than falliable: “Suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy
clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in
dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich
person, but say to the poor, “You can sit over there, or on the floor,”- well,
doesn’t this show that your discrimination is based on evil motives? Hasn’t God
chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who
inherit the kingdom promised to those who love him? But you dishonor the poor!
Isn’t it the rich who drag you into courts and oppress you?” (James 2:2-6) Or
do our judgmental glances and haughty attitudes defile the name of God, who
loved each and every one of us enough to forgive a debt that we could never
repay? James is also adamant that we must “Speak and act as those who are going
to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will
be shown to anyone who is not merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James
2:12-13).
You never
know what God is doing in the life of another person- until you make an earnest
effort to find out. So go against the grain and embrace people on the fringes
of society. Step out of your comfort zone, out of your own little world. Learn
to see people with your heart, and not your eyes. The incredible just might
happen. You might lead someone to a wellspring of living water. Or just like in
The Battle of Jericho, you may find your strength in the most unexpected of
places. And the walls just might come crumbling down.
