“Others said, ‘This is the Messiah!’ But some said, ‘Surely, the Messiah doesn’t
come from Galilee, does He? Doesn’t the
Scripture say that the Messiah comes from David’s offspring and from the town
of Bethlehem, where David once lived?’… ‘You aren’t from Galilee, too, are you?’
they replied. ‘Investigate and you will see that no prophet arises from
Galilee.’” (John 4:41-42, 52)
Have you
ever come to a conclusion about someone based on incomplete or inaccurate
information? Has someone ever come to a
conclusion about you (and you found out about it later) based on incomplete or
inaccurate information? Most of us can
answer yes to both questions. It seems to
be a common human experience to reach a conclusion about people because we are
convinced we have complete information, while in truth we may not, and it seems
that pride is the fuel that drives this.
The folks
who heard Jesus, who saw Him, who interacted with Him knew Him as a
Galilean. He dressed like a
Galilean. He spoke with a Galilean
accent. Some thus concluded that He
could not possibly be the Messiah, because in their understanding of prophecy
no prophet could come from Galilee. But
their information was incomplete and inaccurate. Jesus only grew up in Galilee. They did not know the Christmas story, that
He was born in Bethlehem, David’s home town, and that both Joseph and Mary were
direct descendants of David.
Proverbially, they were “judging a book by its cover.”
The next
time you find yourself reaching a conclusion about someone because of some
surface feature of their lives, stop a moment and remember this story about
Jesus, and then hold up on your conclusion until some greater clarity
comes. Following this approach might
just help you discover an unexpected blessing.
Lord, We recognize that we do not always understand the
full picture the way You do, so we ask You to help us approach others with open
minds and hearts, so that Your Spirit may lead us in ministering to them. Amen.
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