LYING EYES
2Corinthians 5:12-21
The Message vv. 13-14: “If I acted crazy, I did it for God; if I acted overly serious, I did it for you. Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.”
Cassie and Missy walked to their seats for the movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. “The theater’s almost full!” Missy said. “Brad sure knows how to celebrate his 10th birthday….What’s up with her?”
Cassie looked where Missy pointed. “The girl with the head scarf?”
“Yeah. Is she Muslim?”
Who cares? The movie’s starting!”
When will God’s kids stop jumping to conclusions, or judging others just by their looks? What people see comes from only one sense. How can our eyes see truth instead of jumping to lies?
The first-century church was splintered because of race, language, and culture. The opening Scripture shows Paul teaching the Corinthians not to judge others by outward appearances. How people looked was more important to them than what was in another’s heart. “Because Christ died for all” Paul explained, “don’t judge others just by what’s seen on the outside.”
What’s wrong with this? Judging others by what we see is naïve (ni-EVE means childish). We may think we’re wise, but our senses are worldly. We take in crude, unfinished information—same as when judging people. God’s kids are being sanctified, (SANK-ti-fied means to grow in righteousness) daily. Because we’re made in the image of Almighty God, Jesus died on the cross for everyone. What must others have thought after hearing offensive, vulgar words spilling out of our mouths before we began following Jesus? (At least they formed their opinion based on two senses, sight and sound).
Paul reminded the Corinthians, “Those who saw the Messiah got it wrong, and crucified Him! Remember, anyone who comes to Christ by faith, gets a fresh start as a new person.” (Paul’s words are paraphrased from verses 14-16).
We often get things wrong, even when using all 5 of our senses!
Take Home Nugget
Cassie darted to the concession stand during Intermission. In line next to the girl with the head scarf, Cassie introduced herself. “Hi. I’m Cassie, Brad’s classmate in school. Isn’t this movie awesome?”
“It sure is! My name is Nila.” She patted her head, admitting, “My hair’s beginning to grow back, after chemo.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Nila.” Cassie said, clutching two drinks. “Later.”
“You too, Cassie!”
Cassie handed Missy her drink. “I met the scarf girl, whose hair hasn’t grown back yet, after chemo.”
First impressions are often misleading.
How can we peek inside another’s heart?
Eyes are one sense that can be misreading
The whole person instead of just one part.
J.D. Griffith
A personal, private lesson experience with our staff
Written for http://www.biblestudyforkids.com/
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