Sunday: The Mastery of Prejudice
WEEK 46
SUNDAY
THE MASTERY OF PREJUDICE
2 Kings 5:10-14
We consider now another mastery—the mastery of prejudice—a much-needed mastery.
The disciples began as one of the most prejudiced of peoples. They were reared in an atmosphere of exclusiveness: racial exclusiveness, social exclusiveness, religious exclusiveness. Added to this Paul had the self-righteous exclusiveness of the Pharisee. Yet in ten days of waiting and receiving, all these walls of exclusiveness and prejudice went down, and they faced life with open-mindedness and openheartedness. What had happened? The Spirit of Truth had come; and as Jesus said: “When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you in all truth” (John 16:13). The Spirit of Truth was guiding them in all truth, all beauty, all goodness everywhere.
This complete openness of spirit and mind is summed up in this amazing passage: “All belongs to you; Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, the present and the future—all belongs to you; and you belong to Christ, and Christ to God” (1 Cor 3:21-23 MNT). Never was there such absolute freedom to possess and appropriate. All things belong to you: all great teachers—Paul, Apollos, Cephas; all great facts—the world, life, death; all time—the present and the future; all things belong to you! What was the secret of this freedom of spirit? Strangely enough, it was found in a complete narrowness: “you belong to Christ.” Then belonging to him, everything belongs to you! Strange way to make us free, isn’t it? Christ binds us in complete submission to him and then turns us loose! With one point of the compass resting in him, the other point could sweep as wide into truth as it could go! Sure of the center, you are free to appropriate the circumference.
Then what is the secret of our prejudices? We are not sure of the center; hence we nervously have to keep off anything new and untried. Unsure people are prejudiced. Many white people, unsure of themselves, are prejudiced against people of color; many Americans, unsure of America, are prejudiced against foreigners; many Christians, unsure of their own faith, are prejudiced against Christians who hold any differing view.
O Jesus, you are the Savior; then save us from walls that shut others out and shut us in. For we want to live by open faith instead of a closed-in fear. We are to live in sunlight. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: Since I belong to Christ, then anything good, beautiful, true, from anywhere belongs to me.