series: #
verse: John 1:35-51 #
Introduction #
The social media content algorithm is very powerful. And there’s a growing trend of hating on the American Church. Because there are a lot of instances of sexual predation, improper use of finances, etc. And this is where prejudice comes in. As we continue see content revolving around a central idea such as a certain demographic acting in a certain way, we create a bias towards it.
Main Idea: #
So we need to work in ourselves to not be affected so much by this algorithmic prejudice and have a loving and caring respect towards everyone.
What does prejudice do? #
It blinds us by convincing us that we already see things clearly and correctly. In John 1, Jesus is calling his first disciples to come follow him. Some disciples are doubtful and skeptical, whereas others are jumping the gun. Nahanael was one of of the skeptics,. And in verse 46, Philip finds Nathanael complaining and Philip responds by saying, “Just come and see”. Nathanael had prejudice against the people of Nazareth. It’s a small village and he was under the belief that they were inferior people. He made a judgment on Jesus before even meeting him because of this stereotype.
Stereotypes often work negatively in our lives. It drives conflict and stimulation, and it’s why the media pushes this sort of narrative.
The worst type of blindness, is the one in which the person assumes that they see clearly.
Why do we equip prejudice #
It protects our world view, and it stops us from challenging it. We naturally trust our own judgment first and we’d rather be correct because of our ego.
So what do we need to do? #
Come and see Jesus for yourself Experience Jesus personally in your life. Dive deep and commit just at least once for yourself. So that you can at least walk away with your own opinion. In verse 49, we see that it was only when Nathanael purposefully approached Jesus that he began to believe and understand.