Heirs? Heirs!

 . . . the Gentiles have become fellow heirs . . . 

 - From Ephesians 3

There have been references, my entire life, to how modern Christians can understand the Jew-Gentile divide in terms of modern, Western-cultural racism. But I have never been totally happy with that comparison. It always felt too "Apples and Oranges" to me. Modern racism, rooted in such things as institutionalized slavery, of the same still practiced (legally) in many countries today, and class identities was never, in fact, an appropriate way to understand the ancient Jews' animosity towards Gentiles. 

It was always too easy for modern 21st Century people to say "Oh of course it's just like racism," while profoundly convinced, in their own minds, that they are not racists. Yes, yes . . . this is the bigotry of ancient Israelis - - - something that I am not!

Thank you, Father God, that I am not like them!

But today, we have a better example, one that we can all feel, poignantly:

Unmasked people, versus masked. (Or, any delineator based on the public health controversy in 2020-2022).

In my experience, most anti-mandate people are quite accepting of others wanting to place restrictions on themselves. They would even become allies if necessary.

But also, in my experience, most pro-mandate people have utter disdain for the anti-mandate (or neutral) people. Social distancing is quite convenient - - - they can "legally" do what they want to do, anyway, which is to keep their distance from such deplorables. They operate with a level of contempt for "the other" that goes way beyond mere casual racism. And in the space of less than two years, have institutionalized entire sets of practices and mandates, that hastens the dividing of humanity into separate, hostile camps. 

I may be totally wrong in how I have characterized these two camps, and their attitudes. Of course there is a level of hyperbole involved, and even deliberate satiric exaggeration. 

Regardless of who is right . . . there's no mistaking the racist-like tendencies of modern people, which is marvelous mostly in the rapidity in which former friends and colleagues have come to have such ire towards each other. 

We would hope the ire is not felt by Christians . . . but it is; way too much. And they have managed to convince themselves that their hate for others is actual godly love. 

We finally understand what Paul was talking about; why it was so potentially toxic a concept to introduce: the very idea of Jews and Gentiles being brethren in the same Body. . . . In the same family!

All we have to do is go out into public, and see if we immediately form opinions of others, based on appearance, that we feel justifies getting as far away from them as possible. 

All we have to do is look in a mirror.