John 1:10-18
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”) 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.
I was in the choir loft in the seminary chapel waiting for Evening Prayer to begin. We were all excited because Marva Dawn, a big name theologian, was going to be our visiting preacher that night. I was also tired and a little bit cranky when I came in. As usual, we had a few local visitors with us in the choir loft. When it came time for the opening hymn, I grabbed the hymnal in front of me and pretended not to notice the visitor beside me searching around for another one. In my state of crankiness, it gave me a fiendish satisfaction. Well, you guessed it, when it came time for the sermon, Marva Dawn, left the chair beside me and stepped into the pulpit. I was mortified!
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.
Jesus was born into a community that had been watching and waiting for him for centuries. Even if they weren’t looking for him, you would think that the One who created the world would be somewhat familiar to that world. But the world can be a cranky place where people who aren’t known to us aren’t always very welcome. And so, the beloved children of God that Jesus came into the world to love and serve treated him with scorn and contempt.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.
So, here’s the real question. Why was I more upset about being mean to a famous person than I would have been about being mean to any other guest? What made me think that I had any more right to the space and resources around us than the others in the room?
If they had known who he was, the people wouldn’t have treated Jesus so horribly. While that’s true, it’s a complete misunderstanding of why Jesus came into the world in the first place. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the King of Kings, Our Lord and Savior. He is worthy of all honor, glory and praise. And he expects us to treat every created being with the same honor and respect we reserve for him.
Prayer: Lord Jesus: Help me greet everyone in the same way I would receive you. AMEN