How easily shocked are you by the lives of others who are different from you?
When we continually surround ourselves only with people who have similar belief systems and values, it can result in fear, judgment, and distancing ourselves from others who are different. But this is not Christ-like. In fact, it is more like the Pharisees in the Bible. The Pharisees were the religious ones, the rule-enforcers, the ones who lived a separate life. They judged and condemned others while being blind to their own sinful ways. In contrast, Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), He ate with sinners (Matthew 9:11) and touched untouchable lepers (Matthew 8:3). He didn’t withdraw from them. He drew near to them. John Burke, the author of Unshockable Love: How Jesus Changes the World through Imperfect People, challenges us to examine our hearts to see whether we are more like Jesus or more like the Pharisees.
Why should we accept this challenge?
