There is an old saying that “You can’t pick your relatives.” In reconciliation you can not choose who you journey with. Take with you an attitude that this new individual, or group of individuals, gives you an opportunity to learn about a new culture, and new way of thinking, and a new way of life, even if you ultimately reject it all. You learn the context from where the individual is bringing. You learn to live with being uncomfortable.
I suspect that part of Jesus’s plan was to take his disciples where they would not go otherwise — to dinner with tax collectors, to a Samaritan well, and probably to the most shocking place — into a close community that included women. Luke’s gospel speaks of seventy -two followers sent out on a mission. These followers learned how to cross cultural and legal barriers to work together while he was on earth, so that they could carry out his mission after he left. All stereotypes and assumptions had to be broken down, but they had one thing in common and through that commonality they developed a great movement. The one thing they had in common was the fact that Jesus had said to each “Follow me” and each had left everything behind and followed.
Jesus first put his followers in an uncomfortable community and then sent them out to uncomfortable places and situations to prepare the world for reconciliation.
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