January 14, 2018 Sunday

“The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip.” (John 1:43-46 NIV)

            We are a people who like to define others in a negative way.  Just about every people have a word like gentile that means they aren’t us!  Usually that term means they are less than us. 

            We also find ways to see differences within ourselves to show we see them as different and therefore less than us.  In America we currently have the Coastals who see themselves as better because they have a more progressive culture and more cultural events than the Fly-Overs.  The Fly-Overs see themselves as better because they have (in more circumstances) closer families and communities.

            Nathanael falls into this as he expresses his prejudice "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" 

            Paul shows us the change that came with the redemption of Jesus as he declares “In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.” (Colossians 3:11 NLT)

            When we either put down others because we see them as less or try to lift ourselves up by putting others down we are degrading people whom our God loves and gave His life for.  We also are not following scripture which declares that we are all created of “one blood”.

            Try to see others as God would have you see them.  See others as the people He loves and wants to come to Him.  Maybe that is why the Bible commands us to pray for our enemies and why Jesus did that, even on the cross!