Context over Content!
There is a story in the Bible about a Samaritan woman whom Jesus spoke with and revealed His amazing love to. But when the disciples returned to where Jesus was and saw He was talking to a Samaritan and a woman no less, they were "astonished." Samaritans were half Jewish and half Gentile, to the Jewish world they were considered inferior, and women, women were regarded as property. John, in Chapter 4:27, stated: "that not one of them asked Him, What are you inquiring about? What do you want? or Why do you speak to her?" Later in the story, Jesus reveals His heart is to save everyone, not just the Jews. The disciples were only looking at the content of the situation, what they could perceive with their senses, but Jesus was always looking at the context, the entirety of the situation, all of the circumstances which led to the situation. He looked at the bigger picture.
He looked from the eyes of love.
He understood from the heart.
Often times, we judge one another so quickly and make decisions about people without ever having taken in the context of the situation. We never even bother asking contextual questions, because to do so may mean we have to give something up.
Maybe the disciples felt insulted, maybe they wanted to be the only ones Jesus ministered to, may be a millennia of rejection and oppression had caused them to resent and hate all the different cultures around them, understandably so!
But the higher calling, is always love. The higher calling is always context. In order to grow spiritually, it is necessary to begin to look at others as if you were looking at yourself. What would it be like if I was this person? Wondering from all angles. Not easy to do! Something in us likes the judgement, the "I am better than you" mentality, it feeds our ego and makes us feel special. When we focus our energy on someone else's shadow, it keeps us from looking at our own.
Spiritual growth begins when humility is welcomed and ego is put in its proper place.
Today I ask for the grace to understand the context, not just content, I ask to see with the eyes of love.
#context #love #forgiveness
