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Text: Luke 14:15-24 ● My assumption is that we all came in here today with the need for some degree of ‘sensitivity training’ (all saddled with some bias or prejudice: racially, socially, economically, educationally, ethnically , etc.) “Sensitivity training”: companies spend millions attempting to ‘de-program’ their employees. Why? Because we’re all insensitive! ● It’s always there, just certain environments, certain instances make it more apparent. ● Jewish society, at the time of Jesus, was a system of classifications; the lines of demarcation were clearly established (Jew or Greek (non-Jew), slave or free, male or female, Torah-observant or sinner, etc.) Leviticus 21:18-21 How do we deal with this? ● Although we have made noticeable advancements, our culture still struggles with boundaries and classifications. ● I grew up in white, middle-class suburbia with every advantage and opportunity afforded such a classification. In a word, we were ‘normal’ (roughly interpreted: everyone ‘looked like me, talked like me, dressed like me, etc.’) ● In my high school, it was ‘jocks’, ‘nerds’ and ‘stoners’. ‘Other’ simply meant that you were wandering purposelessly in a social wasteland. There really wasn’t even a racial label because there were so few that it didn’t seem necessary to establish a classification. “What are some other labels we attach?” ● Labels not only immediately place someone in a particular classification, they… …suggest a predetermined response toward them, …presuppose an explanation, …confine people; limit the scope of possibility, …are extremely hard to lose; you’re ‘marked’. ~ Wherever God is present, he brings people together and intentionally eliminates any excuses that we might formulate for keeping people at a distance… from him and us. Revelation 7:9-10; Revelation 19:9 God’s image of the end? The culmination will be this big dinner with people of all ethnicities, languages, and social classes all sitting down together to celebrate the wedding… the marriage of God and his people! Jesus often used the same imagery to illustrate God’s heart of inclusiveness for humanity. ● Imagine being able to find or produce a type of music that everyone liked. Admittedly, there would be something really special about it. The fact that it possessed such a wide appeal; that it was able to transcend a variety of cultural barriers and unify so many people would naturally cause it to be greatly valued. The Kingdom was meant to accomplish just such a purpose. ● We tend to live as if the lines (of delineation) are always clear. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for people to fill out the census cards. “Other” seems to be more popular. What if we were truly able to consider ourselves ‘other’? Not Jew or Gentile, not male or female, etc. not Anglo or African, not rich or poor, not Republic or Democrat, etc. ● The reality is, that every community (political, economic, racial, religious, etc.) or people group has an identity and having an identity implies boundaries. The boundaries either say (implicitly or explicitly) “Welcome”, or “You can’t come in!” The boundaries serve two primary purposes: 1) Allow and keep people IN 2) Keep people OUT ● The problem with boundaries is presumption on the part of the ones establishing them. What if the people we thought were in, were actually out? What if the people we assumed were out, were actually in? Jesus seemed to use boundaries in such a way that it made access available to all; that no one who desired access would be denied. ● When it came to the ‘outsiders’, Jesus’ approach seemed one of excessive grace; when it came to the presumed ‘insiders’, Jesus expected that their grace quotient would be consistent with their knowledge; he expected more. It’s why we must be cautioned that such dismissive, exclusive behavior not characterize our interaction with those Jesus is looking for… the lost. (i.e. I saw no dichotomy in pledging my allegiance to Jesus while, simultaneously, telling the occasional racist joke: now it would be called ‘racially insensitive’ which I much prefer to ‘bigot’). Galatians 3:28 “… with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. ~ Paul was not calling people to a new classification, but a new ‘identity’… “in Christ”. Such would mean a new pattern of relating socially, economically and ethnically, which was to be lived out in the culture. ● Jesus seemed to violate all the restrictions; all the taboos. He says, very simply, the kingdom is like a banquet… and who gets invited? All those who were previously considered excluded (blind, poor, lame, the ‘defectives’). The impact of such behavior in the culture would be significant. Imagine, you’ve grown up in a culture that says, “don’t, don’t, don’t…” and then, your family starts inviting these people over for dinner. ~ In a sense, my faith was much easier before ‘grace’. There were the good guys and the bad guys; us and them – us, with our pad, scripted answers and programmed responses… and them- everyone else. ● As I was growing up, I discovered that I developed some of my biases due to a lack of any real experience with a certain cultural or religious group; and, some of my biases were developed because of limited experiences with them (like a bad experience at a restaurant that so many seem to enjoy). ● In my journey, God has seemed to intentionally put me into situations where there would be the potential for my biases to be exposed and my boundaries extended. But, there came a time when people no longer fit into the categories which had previously been established. When it became known that the people who helped shape and form me were struggling with addictive behaviors, or their marriage was failing, or someone was dating someone of another racial category, etc. ● Especially when I became a pastor and would have people meet with me privately and say things like, “No one else knows this, but…” or, “I’ve never had the courage to tell anyone this before, but…” ● Once you have a name and a face attached to a bias or a prejudice, suddenly, the easy answers seemed useless. I didn’t know what to do with these folks… what classification to put them in; where they ‘belong’. ~ What I’m discovering is that my only call is to ‘love’; and love always realigns the boundaries… it’s always extending them for a greater sense of welcome. ‘Well, that’s gutless, Phil’. Actually, I’m discovering that it’s a much more courageous approach to life; it’s much more difficult than exclusion. Matthew 5:43-48 “What if you love only those who love you? What if you greet only those who greet you?” Anybody can do that! ● It’s in this context that Jesus says that we are to be perfect like our heavenly Father is perfect. He is saying that we shouldn’t limit the expression of our love or establish boundaries to determine who is deserving of such loving-expressions. “What must we do?” (famous response to many of Jesus’ teachings) ►Practice ‘declassification’. Don’t settle for pre-judgments, preconceived ideas or predetermined responses (which are all prompted by fear); rather, drive out fear with love (1 John 4:18) It seems easier to adopt a position or take a stand (seems to suggest immovability) than to move toward reconciliation. ►Be environmentally sensitive. Realize that every time you encounter ‘one of them’, your response signals an attitude of welcome or rejection. And remember, they are not just ‘one of them’, but ‘they are him’ (Jesus). ►Be the exception. “Well, most Christians I’ve met…” (which I am hopeful is an exaggerated statement) With your loving response, help to eliminate any obstacles that might be preventing people from coming closer to Jesus. ►Move toward people so they can move toward Christ. If it’s God’s kindness that leads people to repentance, it’s our kindness that leads them to God (Romans 2:4) ►It takes one to know one. The popular, yet feeble attempt at verbal jousting (alongside the ever-popular, “Oh, yeh, you and whose army?”). But maybe other than being a childish verbal jab, it reduces the boundaries; it unifies, rather than separates. It distinguishes us, in the sense that it highlights our commonality. ● The Bible says it in so many ways, “Before you try to attempt delicate eye surgery on someone else, get the board out of your own” (Matthew 7:3)
“Accept one another, just as Christ
accepted you, in order to bring praise to God”
(Romans 15:7). |
