Jesus Judged The Prejudiced Ones, But Was Not A Racist

Jesus Judged The Prejudiced Ones, But Was Not A Racist     Kelly Durant  1-19-20

Matthew 23: 23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

2. Did you know the Salvation Army (my opinion) is one of the least racist churches that exist? And I have witnessed hundreds! This is one of the reasons I am serving in this organization, there are people here who have a great ability to adapt, to respect, and to be successful with programs that are tailored to fit the needs of any culture. You cannot work in 130 countries without being highly unbiased and flexible! It has a lot to do with allowing local leaders rule their own.

In our Army I know many biracial married couples, and they are usually highly compassionate and adaptable. After all, I am married to a Bolivian, and having made myself be mixed with another race and culture, I consider that I am in the blessed predicament to work with those of different races. Why can’t we all just be non-discriminatory and openly loving minded to everyone as Jesus was?

Picture this, in a city like Atlanta where you have all kinds of white churches, black churches, or Korean, etc., a mixed couple in their presence, being biracial would probably feel out of place. Sadly, as some mature Christians deduct, Sunday is the day that we witness the most prejudice in our society; the day in which all the birds of a feather flock together. It appears clustering occurs somewhat naturally as we are drawn to those like ourselves but personally I think a majority of people miss out on sharing with those different from themselves. Jesus condoned acceptance, even the loving of your enemies, which often are the ones we identify as those of another race or culture. 

3. This is the Cultural Reconciliation Sunday, or in essence an anti-discrimination promotion emphasis taking into account the memory of Dr. MLK, Jr., a preacher who fought for the marginalized people to be respected, and he made a lot of progress from what was happening in the 1960s. He exposed an evil in society called “prejudice” which is a pre-judging, discrimination, or disqualifying of a person without giving them a deserving respect proportioned to them by God as the creator of them. I worked 14 years in other countries, God can use anyone! 

We still have a problem with some people thinking they are better than other people in our society. It seems the race issue is more complex than just “the race” being the issue for divisions. It has more to do with pride and arrogance. I have brothers and sisters in the Lord that are from all different races, Hispanic, black, and Asian, and all mature Christians have no racial issues, if they are authentic. 

As Christians we are no longer of the blood of a certain tribe or race, we are of the same blood of Jesus, who came to save “all”, Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. A quote by MLK I like is, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend”.

4. We all conclude it is ugly and inappropriate to be racist and discriminatory, but here is a the question, who then amongst us can correct the racists, the sinful, and the prideful? How did Jesus handle this? By example! He mixed with the racists, and he told stories to expose them, and finally he vehemently rebuked the ones who were unloving, oppressive, and hypocritical!   

Two quick examples: Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 for her to have salvation and the water of life. Remember, the Jews hated that mixed race, and they returned the favor of hating the Jews back, so for her and Jesus to talk was taboo on the part of both of them. So, here we see Jesus gave us the example to mix with and accept those normally rejected by our group or race.

Also, in the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10 we learn from His teachings that the most evil ones might even be those of your own race, and the one who might save you might be of a race that normally appears to reject you. What is taught is we are to love, heal, and take care of each other no matter the race!

5. There is a complicated dynamic when it comes to us wanting to correct racism, it is that of being able to get the ones whom we are correcting to be willing to listen and take it in. I have been in company of many mature Christians of other races and we have been able to discuss the faults and weaknesses of our own races without any hard feelings, we are only looking at the facts, stats, and community.

Paul corrected all the races with which he was familiar. With salvation and repentance as the motive, he harshly rebukes and corrects the Romans (he was one by status), the Greeks in Corinthians (whom he lived around all his life) and the Jews within the other writings (of whose race He was). In the past it took one of their own to correct them and it still works that way today.

Think about neighborhoods and areas of predominately one race only. If a person of another race goes preaching to them about their sins, they get furious as they feel this person has no right to be insulting them and their ways, being racist and corrective. What is needed is a Martin Luther King Jr. type, one who can articulate what is happening across the board so all will listen and a change of attitude can take place. MLK was Christian and things improved with him calling things out, but others, as national leaders or persons of influence, who have not been Christian, have not united us more as MLK Jr. did but they rather divided us more. Only Jesus’ love can heal us and help us to see our own sins so we repent.  

    

6. So in the end, it is best that rebukes come from one of your own to be accepted. Jesus rebuked the false hypocritical Jews in a harsh way. He warned them that all their obedience to their own ways of tradition and law was disqualifying, insulting, and offensive to God because they were not exemplifying real justice by judgment, mercy, and faith! And most of all love!

They hated Him for those rebukes, but those warnings of hell had to come from Him, God’s Son who had done miracles in their presence yet they refused to believe. No one wants to hear that they will go to hell over their hard heart and deeds, but if it is true, they need to be told and warned, especially if they know to do right and do it not. We as Christians get hated for calling out sin, do we not?

Imagine, Jesus was not rebuking the prostitutes, the sinning heathen, or the barbaric other races around Him who deep inside knew they needed God’s mercy. Those kinds, time and again, proved to Jesus they had great faith in Him, and they were more humble and just in their dealings with their neighbors than His fellow Pharisaical Jews.

7. So applying this concept today do not be as the fake Christians, especially the ones on television, who preach 50 out of 52 sermons a year on tithing (even your spices as mint, anise and cumin) and giving them thousands of dollars for their luxuries, even private jets! Jesus blood must boil to witness some of the false teachings of today from the greedy, carnal, hypocritical preachers who outwardly appear perfect, but they are dried up bones of death on the inside. They are being as abusive as the Jews were perverting and misapplying the law and love of God making God appear to be a lover of luxury, oppression, being unjust, and unholy. How damaging and destructive! Hell will be their punishment. Matthew 7:21

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Jesus sees and condemns those who claim to follow God but do not live practicing true judgment, mercy, and faith (which infers being non prejudiced) as serpents and vipers! The serpent leaders belong to Satan! Vipers offer no love, healing or wisdom, only poison, pain, and death! And snake cults, being those who claim wisdom comes from them, have existed since Adam and Eve’s children! 

8. So when we face Jesus one day, we do not want to have to be rebuked as an unloving, unmerciful, faithless, biased, proud, unrepentant hypocrite! How horrible to have that on your soul! Hell is the retribution for that. No one can despise anyone of a different race anymore! Jesus proved how love overcomes!

No race is exempt from judgment as no race is better than another, God weighs the heart, and justification with God or special privilege does not come by the observance of some group’s cultural traditional religious deeds. In every race there exists the Pharisaical hypocrites who are cold hearted, haughty, arrogant, better-than-you, stand offish, proud, ignorant, and ungodly! Evil exists in all the colors and shades! The point is not to be as one of them, but to be like Jesus! 

Also, don’t let the people of the world confuse you; their idea of discrimination and bias is quite different, even opposite, from God’s view. Just follow Jesus example, reach out to help those whom many consider to be sinners, and reach out to those whom certain communities reject over their race or culture. There is hope for everyone! Jesus came to save all, everyone that will receive Him! Remember this about heaven, it is full of all races from all the ages! Revelation 7:9

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands. I can’t wait to be in the company of those loving saints, can you? Jesus saves, receive Him!