Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

On December 1, 1955, a middle-aged woman took a seat on a bus in Montgomery, AL.

It would have been a pretty unremarkable event, hardly worth our attention today, if it weren’t for the events which followed.

Shortly thereafter, a man got on the bus and demanded her seat.

The woman refused and was subsequently arrested.

The woman’s name was Rosa Parks, an African American lady.

And this event was the spark that ignited the Civil Rights Movement and sent shock waves across America, shock waves that are still shaking our nation today.

Many have said that race relations in America are at an all time low today.

I’m not sure that’s entirely true, but it’s certainly true that we’re in the midst of a second Civil Rights movement today and the situation isn’t pretty.

You’ve heard the news.

You know what Fox and CNN have to say about it.

You know BLM’s stance on the issue.

So I’m not interested in rehashing those perspectives here today.

What I’m concerned with is this: “What does the Bible have to say about it?”

FCF: It’s human nature to seek out those who are most like you and develop close friendships with people like you.

But the gospel requires that we not merely do what comes naturally to us.

The problem of racism, like any other sin that plagues mankind, can’t be solved in the halls of Congress, or in the picket line, or on Facebook.

Racism is a heart problem and, as such, must be addressed with the Gospel.

Main Idea: The Gospel of Jesus Christ offers the only hope for interracial reconciliation.

If we embrace the gospel of Christ, we will start to see lives changed and divisions broken down as the church models to the world what true unity looks like.

Scripture Introduction: In this passage we see...Prayer for IlluminationTransition:

Defining Racism

“Viewing one’s own race as superior to another” or “Viewing another race as inferior to one’s own.”

Racism is always disguised with clever logic.

The Jews had a long tradition of separation from the Samaritans.

Hostilities dated back 600 years

The Jews had good political reasons to dislike the Samaritans.

The Jews had good ethnic reasons to avoid the Samaritans.

The Jews in Samaria had intermarried with the peoples of the region and had lost their distinctive Jewish-ness

The Jews had good religious reasons to avoid the Samaritans.

The Samaritans worshipped on Mt.

Gerizim, not in Jerusalem as prescribed by God in the Mosaic Covenant

The Samaritan woman quickly tried to stoke controversy on this issue, but Jesus didn’t take the bait

And the Samaritans hated them back.

The Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim had been destroyed by the Jews in the late second century BC.

Josephus records how the Jews and Samaritans disputed over whether Gerizim or Jerusalem was the proper site for the temple of Yahweh.

He dates the construction of the Gerizim temple to the time of Alexander the Great, around 332 BC, but excavations suggest it was built about a century earlier.

During the first century AD, the ruins of the temple probably were still visible.

Racism is not unique to any one race of people or country.

It’s a human problem.

It exists in probably every single race in the world and is the default setting for humanity

You don’t have to don a KKK outfit to be racist.

All you have to do is be human.

Just because it sounds logical and is supported by statistics, doesn’t mean it’s not racist.

How would you like it if people assumed that because you’re from Arkansas, you’re just a dumb redneck that walks around barefoot and marries their cousin?

Stereotypes often prevent us from treating people as unique persons.

I once heard a businessman say, “If I know that a certain group of people tend to show up late to work, not have a very good work ethic, etc. and another group of people tends to be the opposite, why wouldn’t I take that into account when I’m hiring?”

Racism is contrary to the heart of God.

God loves the outcasts

The first person to whom Jesus reveals himself as the “I AM” is a lowly Samaritan woman

In Jn. 4:26, Jesus’s response to her is literally, “I Am, the one who is speaking to you.”

Jesus is identifying himself not only as the Messiah that she’s been expecting, but as the “I AM” of

She is likely an outcast even from her own society.

(Jn.

4:16-18)

She’s had five husbands/partners.

She’s cohabiting with a man now to whom she’s not married.

She’s coming to draw water in the heat of the day, possibly to avoid the other women who would come to draw in the cool morning hours.

Still, she is the one to whom Jesus reveals himself.

He stays an extra two days to minister to the other Samaritans

Many believe as a result of his ministry there

Their response is heavily contrasted with the response of Jesus’ hometown, Nazareth, in Jn 4:44 (told in detail in Lk. 4:25-28)

Those who practice racism or hold racism in their hearts, then, set themselves in opposition to God.

God calls out Israel not just for their idolatry, but here he calls them out for their injustices and oppression of the lowly.

Racism is a gospel issue

From the very beginning, God’s intention was to create one people out of every ethnicity in the world, and the culmination of Salvation history is when this happens:

Even in the Old Testament, God carefully lays out laws protecting Gentiles and other people whom the Jews might be tempted to oppress:

Conclusion/Application

Recognize that racism is a lot more subtle than you may think and that we’re all guilty of it.

Stop forwarding and posting inflammatory meme’s on Facebook!

Make friends with an African American, Hispanic, or Asian person.

Get to know them.

Ask questions and don’t argue.

Learn to listen respectfully, even when you disagree.

Don’t get drawn into pointless, distracting political debates.

Give them Jesus, not your political opinions!

Never let race or politics get in the way of the gospel.