By Lamont H. Fuchs, Ed.D. (https://preacherspurs.com)
Scripture references: Matthew 8:2-3, Matthew15:30-3, Matthew 25:44-45, Mark 2:16, Matthew 28:19
When they both learn that strange animals are not their friends, cats become dog haters, and dogs become cat haters. Fear, hate, and fighting become part of their modus operandi, and when a dog sees a cat, a fight ensues from the beginning. They were groomed into hate and bias against each other because of miscommunication from the beginning. Our beginnings may have started with our parents who, from their bias, told us to stay away from people like ‘that.’
That’s the way Arabs think about it in their colloquial mindset. Arabs, generally, are biased against dogs and adore cats.
Miscommunication. What has this to do with us? Our conduct is derived from a similar miscommunication. Critical thinking teaches that bias kills our ability to think adequately about anything. Our bias controls our decision-making and general attitude toward whatever we are thinking about. Satan uses that weakness to steer us in directions that keep us from doing the right thing, often the Christian thing.
How often do you see people who are not like you, and your bias keeps you from helping them or witnessing to them? Maybe they are dirty, tattooed, or they have pink hair, or they are poor. Perhaps they are a different race or foreigners, old, young, business-like, uneducated, beggars, diseased, physically impeded, convicts, or just plain ugly. Do you hate sinners and their sins? Possibly you ignore physically incapacitated people who became that way from injury or were born with a physical disability. Do you shy away from talking with them, looking at them, witnessing to them? Think of the story in Matthew 8 when a leper asked Jesus to heal him. Jesus reached out and touched him. Touched him! In that ancient day, touching an unclean leper was social suicide and possibly life-threatening action.
Part of critical thinking is considering other perspectives. They (those who are different from you) might have also been mistreated, ignored, looked down upon, and even hated for being ‘different.’ Of course, some of them hate back. Sound familiar to the story about cats and dogs?
Imagine if Jesus had biases like that. He wouldn’t have been Jesus. Jesus loved the unlovely. Why can’t we? Our example is Christ. His marching order to us is called the Great Commission. I don’t remember seeing any caveats to that order, like spreading the Good News to everyone except those people you don’t like.
“Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:” Matthew 28:19
Hate the sin; love the sinner. Think about it. Repenting to become this kind of unbiased person is hard. Ask God to help; He will. Shed the bias and love like Christ.
Lord, God, and Father, forgive me when I let my bias get in the way of receiving a blessing from You. Help me repent from my attitudes toward the unlovely and help me to show genuine Christian love to my neighbor. I ask, Lord, that You give me the opportunity to show the love You have given me to another. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
