Christian Living

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There are no two people that are alike. Each person is a unique individual. We are different physically, emotionally and intellectually, as well as spiritually. Our parameters are influenced by family and other associates. Our aspirations and behavior reflect our morals and ethics.

Looking from our own personal status, we sit in our watch towers comparing ourselves to others. If someone does not fit into our arena of acceptance, a barrier is set up so that no meaningful exchanges can be experienced. The term that would best describe our reactions to those who differ from us is the word PREJUDICE. Very few of us would admit that our biased actions reflect such a degree of judgment, but our words and responses to others betray us. Our attitude affects our vocabulary and physical demeanor. Ironically, what we feel is being disguised is readily identified by others. People can sense when they are being ignored or judged by others.

Human nature will always have the capacity to compare and judge others. What is so hard to understand is how Christians can enter the arena of judgment. We know that God is not a respecter of individuals, (Acts 10:34) yet His children display qualified actions to one another. How can we so readily forget that God loves the same individual that we so adamantly reject? How can we accept that God forgives the sinner, yet try to justify why we can’t forgive those who have offended us? When will we understand that each person is answerable only to God and not to us? Just because someone does not fit into our mind set, do we judge him as being unacceptable? Just because another chooses to serve God in a way that we are unaccustomed to, does that put him at a disadvantage for our acceptance? How can we overcome our bias and selective rejections?

Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well may shed some light on how to overcome prejudices in our lives. The Jewish people rejected their brothers who, generations before, intermarried with their Assyrian captors. The mixing of Jewish blood with foreign blood produced a generation of people labeled as “Samaritans.” Down through the years, the animosity between these two groups continued to separate God’s people. When Jesus entered the picture, the rift between the Jewish believers was more severe than at any other time.

In John 4, we have a shocking narrative between a Samaritan woman and Jesus. His disciples had gone into the city of Sychar to get food while He rested by the Well. What happened next would have caused even the most liberal Jews to recoil in disgust. A woman came to draw water to take back to her house. Jesus did three simple things: first, He engaged the woman by asking for some water; second, He asked her to draw the water with her bucket, for He had nothing to draw with; Third, He was willing to drink from her bucket. When the Disciples returned from the town, they were shocked at what they saw, for he was talking to a woman rejected by the mainline Jews. Three lessons to be learned: 1) open communication with the person whom we have judged to be not worthy of our attention; 2) find a point where we can interrelate with each other; 3) be willing to receive what they can offer. Jesus opened the closed door and then brought the interaction to the spiritual level. Prejudices come from majoring on the carnal and minoring on the Spiritual. Could majoring on differences be the reason our spiritual growth is not what it should be?

Let us make our way to the Well and engage those who are different from us!

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