Superiority

Let me start this blog by telling you about something that happened to me a yew of years ago. I decided it would be interesting to get one of those DNA test kits that tell you about your genetics and an approximation of where some of your ancestors probably came from. I mailed off the swab with my sample of DNA and waited for a few weeks for my report. When the report arrived I looked through it. It was interesting and in the first few rows of text it had the places in Europe that I had expected. But as I got closer to the bottom I saw Sudan and sub Saharan Africa along with a couple of other countries in Africa. I was surprised, to say the least. I am a southerner, (as in ancestors fought in the U.S. civil war on the side of the confederacy). I appear as Caucasian as humanly possible. One of my great, great Grandfathers farmed and owned slaves. I couldn’t help but giggle at the irony of it all. It just goes to show you that things are seldom exactly what they seem. 

My slave owning ancestors would probably have been horrified to learn of their African roots. There was a law at that time that said, if you had even “one drop of negro blood” then you were a negro and subject to slavery. I can imagine one of my great great Grandmothers getting “the vapors” upon learning that she was now a negro. I can hardly stop laughing at the thought. 

The institution of slavery was based on the idea that the white race was superior to the black race and that it was in the best interest of both races to keep the black people under the rule of the more intelligent white people. The reason that education was denied to black people was to keep them looking ignorant, to prop up the lie that they were less intelligent and therefore inferior. It was said over and over that they were stupid, lazy, dishonest, and violent. It was preached from the pulpit and taught in schools. Whenever a crime was committed a black man was always the first suspect. If a black person was convicted of a crime it was always front page news. Even after emancipation when the institution of slavery was abolished this demonization of black people continued. It has in some ways become part of the culture of the United States. 

That cultural sin is more evident now than it has been in many years. Every day on the news I hear politicians vilify immigrants. They call them stupid, lazy, dishonest and violent. They say they are taking American jobs. Yet, they also say they won’t work. They talk about all the crimes they are committing. Yet, per capita they are more law abiding than native born citizens. I point all this out to make a point. People like to feel superior and in order to do so they need someone to feel superior to. They love to have someone else to blame their problems on. There has always needed to be a scapegoat. It is the migrants now but before them it was the blacks or the Italians, the Chinese, the Irish. Every new group gets a turn. Politicians have always capitalized on peoples fears and stoked them to a frenzy to get into power. Hitler is probably the best example but there are many doing the same today.

Superiority and self righteousness are sins that Yeshua especially disliked. He warned the Judeans not to take the fact that they were sons of Abraham and thus YHVH’s chosen people as an excuse to disobey his teachings.

John 8:31 

Then Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him, “If you continue to follow my teaching, you are really my disciples 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 “We are descendants of Abraham,” they replied, “and have never been anyone’s slaves! How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the family forever, but the son remains forever. 36 So if the son sets you free, you will be really free. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. But you want to kill me, because my teaching makes no progress among you. 38 I am telling you the things I have seen while with the Father; as for you, practice the things you have heard from the Father!” 39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father!” Jesus replied, “If you are Abraham’s children, you would be doing the deeds of Abraham. 40 But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth I heard from God. Abraham did not do this! 41 You people are doing the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Jesus, “We were not born as a result of immorality! We have only one Father, God himself.” 42 Jesus replied, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here. I have not come on my own initiative, but he sent me. 43 Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept my teaching. 44 You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I am telling you the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Who among you can prove me guilty of any sin? If I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 The one who belongs to God listens and responds to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond, because you don’t belong to God.”

There is very clear teaching from God on how to treat immigrants (and the poor).

Deuteronomy 10:17

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who is unbiased and takes no bribe, 18 who justly treats the orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing. 19 So you must love the resident foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 27:19

‘Cursed is the one who perverts justice for the resident foreigner, the orphan, and the widow.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

Leviticus 19:33

When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him. 34 The foreigner who resides with you must be to you like a native citizen among you; so you must love him as yourself, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Zechariah 7:9

“The Lord who rules over all said, ‘Exercise true judgment and show brotherhood and compassion to each other. 10 You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, or the poor, nor should anyone secretly plot evil against his fellow human being.’

Yeshua also had something to add to this. He said,

Matthew 25:31

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. 43 I was a stranger and you did not receive me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you needed?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’ 46 And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Luke 10:25

Now an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you understand it?” 27 The expert answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” 28 Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

Matthew 3:7 

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, 9 and don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 10 Even now the axe is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Do not think that just because you are white or American or even Christian that you can disobey God’s commands to take care of the poor and the alien in your land. Do not be self righteous or feel that you are superior to the immigrant or the poor. You are not. The wrath of YHVH is coming. Even now the axe is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Be merciful to others and you will obtain mercy for yourself.