Meditation Two

John 1:43-50 RSV

Confronting Prejudice

Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  John 1:46

If Jeff Foxworthy had lived in the days of Jesus, he might well have joined Nathanael by saying “You might be a redneck if you came from Nazareth.”  The town Jesus came from was a small, rural “hick” community with no status in the eyes of anyone.  Nathanael questions how the messiah can come from such a nondescript, remote, little town.

Nathanael’s prejudice points to the need of all of us to examine the pre-judgments that we hold, the thoughtless, unconsidered beliefs, we then apply to the world around us.  While some of these, such as racial or ethnic prejudice receive some public attention by society, there are others, equally insidious, that are often overlooked, particularly by those of us who think of ourselves as liberated from these forms of prejudice.

Consider the prejudice many of us have about the mentally ill, the elderly infirm, the homeless, or those who are mentally challenged.  What about our prejudgment about “conservatives” or “liberals”, Republicans or Democrats, Yankees or Southerners?  The unfortunate truth is that each of us holds judgments about others that restrict us from seeing what they might have to offer us and the world.  Like Nathanael, we wonder “Can anything good come out of [fill in the blank]?”

Today, let us ponder what our pre-judgments may be, and use today as a time of confession and repentance.  As followers of the man who came out of Nazareth, we are called to do so.

Prayer: Lord, help me to uncover my hidden prejudices that you may help me challenge and live and act without them.  Amen

Reflection Question: Where in my life am I limiting my relationships because of my pre-judgments?