Us vs. Them
How often are you quick to judge someone by the company they keep?
When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.' So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, 'He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.' - Luke 19:5-7
One of the easiest things to do is to make snap judgments about people.
If I see someone hanging out with the wrong crowd, I automatically assume he is in with them. Chances are I am right, right?
It is not always clear that we are being judgmental. We see someone dressed well and we feel comfortable around them, more comfortable than if someone walked up in dirty and worn clothes.
In today's Gospel, we see Jesus challenging that assumption by putting his own reputation on the line. He chooses to eat with those others have judged to be bad.
We know Jesus is good, so we don't judge him the way his critics do, and we assume that if we would do the same as Jesus, people who know us would know we are not like those we are hanging with.
But that's the point, isn't it? We are being judgmental when we think that way. We are thinking in Us versus Them terms.
The challenge Jesus gives us is to abandon our prejudices and see ourselves as one of us and one of them at the same time. We are all in this together, he tells us, and so we should accept each other as family and not as strangers.
That takes work, I know, but the rewards are great. If we all accept everyone, we will find ourselves accepted as well.
More to come...