Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Flourish and Nourish One Another

Do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. -Romans 11:18 (NIV)


It’s hard not to think about the Holocaust as I read today’s scripture. I probably don’t need to tell you that the Nazi regime’s belief that they were racially superior to the Jews led to the persecution and murder of approximately six million people.


In Romans 9-11, Paul acknowledges that there were Jews who did not accept Jesus as the Messiah and that their rejection opened the way for the Gentiles to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. But Paul is quick to point out that the Gentiles should not feel superior to the Jews just because they have embraced Christ and others have not. In fact, the roots of the Jewish faith are what provide nourishment to the Christian faith.


Why are we so tempted to feel religiously superior to other branches of God’s faith tree (whether it be Christian/Jewish or Methodist/Baptist)? In what ways has our superiority hurt or damaged others?


May God grant us the grace as branches of God’s faith tree to flourish and nourish each other.




If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Proverbs 16-18 and Romans 12.

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