I remember as a kid watching “The Brady Bunch” how often their dad, Mike Brady would say, “We’re different than that, we’re Bradys” or “You can do it, you’re a Brady!” It was as if the family was made of a special concoction that made them some how miraculously different, impervious to flaw, corruption or destruction.
As a kid I would also hear my parents say, “We’re Jewish, we don’t do that” or “We’re Jewish we don’t believe that.” Of course, my children have heard “We’re Christians and we…” countless times. In fact, almost every family I know has used either the Brady tactic or the culture of religion ploy. Or both. It’s natural to want to impress on our young that we are different, no, better somehow.
Isn’t this also the culture of racism? “We are magically superior by the color of our skin and our heritage which magically makes you inferior because of yours.”
Sadly, this is also the curse of denominationalism. “We are Catholics, we…”, “We are Lutherans, we..” “I’m non-denominational so I…” We’re members of our own little culture cults that render us useless to fight the real enemy (Satan) and to stand up when the whole world is watching us at 3pm (my time zone) last Saturday, May 21, 2011.
When our argument against a fake Rapture prediction was only “Jesus said we won’t know what time or day…” instead of “God loves you and even after the rapture He will do everything to try to reach you” I realized how far we had come in our division. It was like, “I know the truth so who cares what the idiots believe…”
Folks, we are not Bradys. Or Jews, Or white or black, or men or women, or gay or straight, or free or slaves. We are all sinners, made of the same corruption that was handed down by Adam and Eve, inspired the madness of Charles Manson, justified Jeffrey Dahmer to himself (and his killers to the rest of us), motivated Bin Laden, dictates that Fred Phelps should picket gay funerals, and Harold Camping should continue to prophesy falsely.
We are no better than the people we judge. We are no better than the people we hate. Jesus had to die for us just the same. And He loves them just the same.
Where do you come from? You come from a long line of sinners that started with two. Two people who had it all because they lived in the physical presence of God Almighty. They threw that away on a whim that set off a series of events that would forever make man a creature of divisive division. We will always war with God, we will always war with each other, we will always point the finger at somebody else. It’s what we do.
Your color, your race, your money, your breeding, your education, your accomplishments and your delusion do not make you different, special or somehow superior in the eyes of God. He loves you because He chooses to. He has placed value on you that you did not and could never earn. Your sparkly eyes aren’t enough to keep Jesus off the cross for your transgression-nor is your six figure salary or your honor-roll child.
Nope. Evil you were born and until released from that Pilates-shaped shell, evil you will be save for that small part of you that is in submission to Him who bought you with His life. Because of Jesus and His suffering, you are perfect in the eyes of God but you should know better than to point the finger at another-no matter how terrible they appear to be-because Jesus died for them too.