Because we are all born with a sinful nature, we all have a hint of prejudice inside of us. Some see prejudice as being only against people of other color. However, it goes even deeper than that. Some are prejudiced against obese people. Others are prejudiced towards sick people. Some are prejudiced against the rich, while others despise the poor. Some Christians are prejudiced against the unsaved. Some show bigotry towards the elderly. Many men are prejudiced against women. However, there is hope. We can overcome our prejudice and be used mightily for God.
Unlike most of the disciples, Nathaniel was not called by Jesus. He was brought to Jesus by Philip. When you read the account of Philip bringing Nathaniel to Jesus, we learn a lot about Nathaniel.
First, we see he was devoted to studying God's word. He was a man of prayer who studied God's word for hours. He was a devout follower of God who longed for a deeper relationship with Him. Philip knew this and immediately went to get his friend so he, too, could follow Jesus.
The second thing we know about Nathaniel is that he was a sincere man. When Philip brought Nathaniel to Jesus, Jesus said that Nathaniel was "a man without guile." This means he had no hypocrisy; there was nothing false about him. What you saw is what you got.
Nathaniel seemed like the ideal disciple. He was devoted to serving God and he had a stellar reputation. However, like all of us, he was not perfect.
We see this after Philip told Nathaniel that Jesus was from Nazareth. Nathaniel responded, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"
Nathaniel felt he was better than the people of Nazareth. He never thought the Messiah could come from such a lowly place. Nathaniel suffered from prejudice in his life. However, through spending time with Jesus and allowing Jesus to change Him, Nathaniel became useful in God's kingdom.
As Nathaniel walked daily with Jesus, he learned to overcome his prejudice. Jesus showed no prejudice to anyone. Jesus loved everyone He encountered. He didn't condone their sin, but He loved and respected them. Whether it was tiny Zacchaeus, a Samaritan woman, a demon possessed man chained to a headstone, a man with leprosy, a tax collector or a rich young ruler, Jesus showed love to all. He never turned anyone away because of how they looked. Social position meant nothing to Jesus. He looked at people's hearts and met whatever need they had. He showed them love. Nathaniel watched this and learned to stop being prejudiced against others. We need to do the same.
Prejudice is an ugly sin before God. We all need to examine ourselves and remove even the slightest hint of prejudice. God commands us to show love to those around us. When we allow prejudice to have a place in our lives, we are giving ground to hatred. This is the exact opposite of God's heart.
As followers of Jesus, we must look beyond appearance, status or wealth. Instead, we should see a soul in need of a Savior because all people have this same basic spiritual need no matter their age, race, sex or social position.
We must begin by examining ourselves, facing any areas of prejudice in our hearts and repenting. It is important to analyze when the prejudice began and what caused it. Then we must ask God to flood our hearts with love and respect for those we have been prejudiced against. Finally, we must begin anew showing the love of Jesus to everyone around us, especially those we once were prejudiced against. Let's begin today.