Mar 26 2019 John 7:37-52

Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.

The crowds are getting restless. Jesus is making quite a commotion, with all his crazy love, and inclusion. The authorities, who by the definition of authority, have drawn distinctions between themselves and those over whom they have power. The religious leaders, who by the definition, have drawn distinctions between themselves and those whom they lead.

And here comes this guy who’s challenging all their self-claimed power and specialness. But that’s too ugly of an argument against him, isn’t it?  They can’t really say, either to themselves or anyone else, that they are against Jesus because he’s taking away their pedestals. He’s no good because he makes me feel no better than everyone else, and I’m special!

So instead, they go to this ludicrous argument that he can’t be the Messiah because he’s from Galilee. No where was it written in their law that the Messiah would come from Galilee. Rather than what Jesus says and does, the authorities are concerned with which side of the tracks he was born and of his parental lineage. Their need to maintain their position of prominence clouds their ability to hear and see Love.

But before I dismiss them as the petty ones, creating false distinctions, think about the writer of John. John’s Gospel spends a lot of time, portraying the legal and religious leaders of the time as petty and wrong-headed. On the other hand, the specific band of Jesus followers that John’s affiliated are special. Makes me think of the pot calling the kettle black.

And it’s not just John, is it? I do this all the time. Things I believe in, things I work hard for, there are things that differentiate me from others. We all differentiate. Teens are great at it, identifying and claiming how they’re different from their parents. And quickly they conclude that their definitions and beliefs are better. It’s not just teens. I think we all do this, when we draw the boundaries and differentiate me from you. We need those distinctions.

The challenge is that deep down, we’re really all the same. We all breath. We all strive to love and be loved. Like the religious and political leaders of Jesus’ time, problems arise when we use those differences to create a hierarchy of human value. Yes, my skin may be a different color than my adopted daughter. Yes, my faith may be different than my husband. Yes, I was born in Illinois, and neither of them were. But none of that makes me better.

Whether it’s the nominal differences stated by the authorities that Jesus was born in the wrong area, or the undercurrent differences, that he threatened their position of power, or the author of John, and his sense that the other Jesus followers didn’t follow their way, all of these differences were real. There are differences between people, their looks, where they're from, what they believe.

But differences, inherently, don’t make one side better than the other. Just different. Today, I want to notice the differences between me and others. I want to celebrate that difference, appreciate the strength that comes from difference, and steer clear of the borders or pedestals that are so easy to create because of those differences.