Reverse the Curse
Readings:
Gen. 41:25-45
Gal. 3:23-4:7
Psalms 10, 11
There is an ancient synagogue prayer, probably known to both Jesus and Paul, which says, “Blessed art thou, O God, for not making me a Gentile, a slave, or a woman.” The prayer was not so much a slam toward those three groups, as it was a recognition of the advantages of being a freeborn, Jewish man in the ancient world. In every nation and culture, some groups are specially privileged, while others don’t enjoy the same advantages.
In his letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul is dealing with a group of people who think it might be necessary to convert to Judaism in order to follow Jesus. But in Christ, Paul says, all those former advantages and disadvantages no longer apply. It doesn’t matter whether you are Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; everyone is on equal footing at the cross. Christ came to reverse the curse of sin and to redeem and restore his creation. He came to tear down the walls created by our sin. He chose to do that by creating a single family—the kingdom of God. We are all one in Christ.
In the church, we should resist any tendencies to try to rebuild walls that Jesus tore down. In God’s kingdom, people of all races are welcomed and honored. In Christ’s church, people of all socioeconomic levels are valued and respected, In Jesus’ community, men and women view one another as complementary but equal partners, and give one another the freedom to use their gifts to fully participate in God’s kingdom work.
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