Title: Let go of prejudice
Contents
let go of prejudice
(2009.10.11. Week) (John 4:13~30)
People live with many prejudices. And those prejudices are mostly unfounded.
*A person with type O blood has a quick temper? - There are countless people with a laid-back personality among Type O people.
* Big-eyed people are timid, slit-eyed people are poisonous? - There are many bold people among people with big eyes, and there are countless people who are gentle among people with squint eyes.
*Chungcheongdo people are slow and blurry? - There are countless people in Chungcheong Province who are quick and smart.
*Even in national institutions - there are institutions that study face shapes and have a prejudice that there are criminal faces.
*Right-handed people are said to be right-handed - so are left-handed people wrong?
There are many people who suffer because of prejudice. You have to let go of prejudice.
Unfounded prejudices such as those mentioned above must be abandoned immediately.
If so, should it be treated with prejudice and partiality if it is justified? - no.
*It is true that ex-convicts have a high recidivism rate - however, even ex-convicts can be transformed into a new person if treated without prejudice.
*Whether or not you have grounds for prejudice - it is not good to discriminate with prejudice.
1. The woman of Suga, who was ignored because of prejudice (verse 27).
On the way from Judea to Samaria, Jesus entered a town called Sychar.
In that town, there was a woman who lived a pitiful life with all kinds of discrimination.
Of course, the woman was not even proudly named - that's why we call her the woman at the well of Suga.
Would that woman have been discriminated against and lived a pitiful life?
1) A woman who is rejected because she is a Samaritan.
(9) “The Samaritan woman said to him, “Why are you, a Jew, asking for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. - He died of thirst. He did not even ask the Samaritan for water. Why?
The people of Samaria - were occupied by the Gentiles when Israel lost the country, so there were many mixed races.
Since then, the Samaritans have been branded lowly.
So the Samaritans took their discrimination for granted, they saw it as fate, and they were living a low life.
As a fellow Israeli - it is not a good thing to discriminate against Israelis from Judea because of their noble status and from Israel from Samaria because of their low status.
Now, international marriages are also increasing in Korea - you should not discriminate against multicultural families by any chance. Just because your skin color is a little dark shouldn't be discouraging. You should not discriminate because you are from a poor country.
We must put aside prejudice and have the mind that all mankind are descendants of the same Adam.
2) A woman who is neglected because of her debauchery.
This woman was discriminated against even among the Samaritans, even in that town.
Therefore, she is a poor woman who does not come out to the well when it is cool in the morning and evening when others go out to draw water, and comes out to draw water quickly during the midday when most people are napping. Why?
(Verse 18) - "You have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband, so you are true." - This woman lives with her sixth husband - but she has no real husband - This man, that man - This man She's a prodigal woman with an inappropriate relationship - she deserves discrimination.
In some ways, prejudice towards this woman seems natural.
2. Jesus treated without prejudice.
Jesus treated this woman who was discriminated against because of her ancestors, who was discriminated against because of where she lived, and who was even more discriminated against because of her debauchery.
He treated me without any prejudice.
1) Jesus approached first. (Verse 7)
(Verse 7) “A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus asked for a drink.”
This woman came to draw water at an off-peak hour away from the crowd - Jesus goes to her side and asks for some water.
Even though he knows he is a Samaritan, he approaches him first. Even though you know she is a prodigal woman, she approaches you first.
Jesus approaches a woman whom no one has ever dealt with and deals with her.
(Verse 27) “At that time the disciples returned and were amazed that Jesus was talking to the woman” Even Jesus’ disciples were amazed that Jesus was talking to the woman.
But Jesus goes to the woman without any prejudice and speaks to her first.
* He even approached Samaritans without prejudice. * He even approached a prodigal woman without prejudice.
As disciples of Jesus, we too must have broad generosity to treat everyone like Jesus without prejudice.
*It's never easy for someone who is being discriminated against to reach out first - we have to go first
2) Jesus approached with the Gospel. (14, 23)
The important thing is that Jesus preached the gospel to the woman.
He didn't come just to get water - he came to preach the gospel.
(Verse 14) “Whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never thirst.
(23)-“The hour is coming, and now is, when those who truly worship the Father will worship in spirit and truth, and the Father is looking for those who worship him like this.” Edo - Jesus approached us without prejudice and preached the gospel.
I hope you will imitate Jesus and reach out to anyone without prejudice and become believers who preach the gospel.
If you do everything without this kind of person or that kind of person, there is no one to preach the gospel to - We must spread the gospel to everyone without discriminating against anyone.
3. A woman who has done great things.
The Samaritan, who was treated as a sinner more than all the provinces of Israel, was the most despised among the Samaritans as a sinner. completely changed. I became a new person.
1) The woman who was saved.
Because everyone was branded as a sinner, a woman who knew herself to be a sinner and lived in fear, a woman who lived without hope of being saved - met Jesus who warmly approached him and talked to him, heard the gospel, and immediately believed in Jesus as the Christ on that day. I was born again as a saved person.
2) The woman who saved her neighbor.
(Verses 28-29) - "The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, "Come and see a man who told me all I have done, is this not the Christ?" - Where sin abounds, grace abounds.
When a great sinner is greatly forgiven, gratitude is also a great law.
*If you can be released on probation for one year in prison, I would be grateful.
*If a person who has been sentenced to death is released with a suspended sentence, that person will be uncontrollably moved.
A woman who was a sinner among sinners was thrilled after being saved, so she immediately entered the town and preached to save the whole town.
Dear saints, even if you are a person who has been far away from you with prejudice, please reach out to them first, preach the gospel and evangelize them - no one knows whether great believers and great workers will be born among them.
I pray that you will become precious workers who change the world beautifully and revive the church by seeing the world without prejudice and treating people without prejudice - being a friend to anyone and preaching the gospel to anyone.