Segregation

It's interesting how young people naturally segregate themselves.  Today, I spent time with junior high students on their lunch break.  I find it fascinating to see the variety of ways that kids group themselves.

Preps, goths, band members, video gamers, farmers, skate boarders, guys, girls, grade levels, drama queens, jokers, etc…



Adults are great at this sort of thing as well.

Financial status, hunters, sports fans, church members, Rotary, occupations, farmers, ages, neighborhoods, family dynamics, etc…


Segregation.
We find people with common interests, values, goals, and life directions.  These people are often our closes friends.  We golf together, shop together, and barbecue together.  Our common interests unit and bind us.  At times, our commonalities can become the foundations of our fellowship.  We're comfortable around people who are like us.


-   Some of us segregate because we're opportunistic.  We're friends with some people merely because they have money, power, or some sort of success.  The high school girl who wants to date the starting football quarterback for popularity.  The student who becomes the teachers pet in hopes of a better grade.  Relationships built on the basis of business and/or money.  Friendships made for selfish ambition.  We seem to love creating opportunities for ourselves.


-   Some of us segregate to fit in.  The Hollister wearing junior high student who is friends with other Hollister wearers.  The senior high student who plays football and has primarily football player friends.  Jaycees.

-   Some of us segregate because of social status, success-based segregation, intellectual segregation, appearance-based segregation, and etc...





This seems to be a tendency of human nature.





2000 years ago, the highly-ranked religious people were the same way.  They took pride in the way they obeyed and followed the 613 laws in their religious scriptures.  They spent time with others who kept the Law.  In fact, they went out of their way to avoid being around people who didn't have the same values as themselves.

Some people have referred to this as the "politics of holiness."

We know this sort of mentality well because we participate in it everyday.




Jesus…

...he couldn't be understood by the highly-ranked religious people.  While the religious went out of their way to avoid those who didn't abide by their Law, Jesus went out of his way to be with them.  While the religious dodged the uncleanliness of the sinners, Jesus had dinner with them.  The religious commented, condemned, and at one point even called Jesus a drunk.

Some have referred to Jesus' methods as the "politics of compassion."




So…

This Jesus, the Savior, the way/truth/life, God in the form of man, the infinite knowledge of God finally communicated to man; he doesn't care about our social status, whether we're fat or skinny, whether we're a prep or a band geek, whether we're straight or gay, whether we're rich or poor, whether we're a highly-ranked religious person or a tax collector, whether we're good looking or ugly, whether we're self-proclaimed sinless or sinful, whether we have it figured out or not, whether we're blue collar or white collar….


Jesus meets us in whatever mess we find ourselves.



It is at that point when He invites us to enter into God's Kingdom.
It is at that point when He shows us the availability of God.
It is at that point when His Spirit enters, fills, and convicts us in the ways of God.




Jesus has no interest in segregation,
because He is more concerned with compassion.



The social categories and boundaries have no purpose in Jesus' world
because He is looking for anyone who will listen and believe.



This is our Savior.
This is His pattern, rhythm, way, method, perspective…







Unlike our obsession with segregation,
this is Jesus
and He loves you no matter who you are or where you come from!
          








*Luke 15 : 1,2