FOUR PRINCIPLES FOR OUTSIDERS

It is significant that Jesus was first placed in a manger “because there was no room for him in the guest room.” 1The traditional reading uses the word “inn,” rather than “guest room.” This is taken from the King James Version. In the old King James English (Before the rise of contemporary hotels or inns) the word “Inn” meant any house where a traveler could sleep for the night. There were no “inns” in Bethlehem in the first century. Not in the contemporary sense. // Most traveler’s stayed in the homes of friends or family members, or anyone who had the extra space. First-century Mediterranean hospitality mores required that the alien or stranger be taken in and hosted. To refuse would bring shame upon the village. In addition, since Joseph was from the House of David he certainly would have relatives living in Bethlehem, the birthplace of David. // The Biblical story, then, is describing a common situation – the house of the relative was full (most likely with other visiting relatives) so a makeshift bed was created in an adjacent “room” where the animals were often kept. This outer room was a place where the family’s animals (most likely a lamb or goat) would be brought in from the cold winds. There was often a feeding trough (sometimes built into the wall) for feeding the animals. This is most likely the place where Jesus was born.  This is no way for a king to start life. The savior of the world is born and his first cradle is a feeding trough for goats and sheep. He is relegated to the outside room where they bring the animals in from the cold winds. As it turns out, it’s an omen for what the rest of his life will look like.

The Outsiders

My wife teaches English as a Second Language (ESL) in a public Jr. High School.  Her students come from all over the world and often have a very difficult time fitting in. They don’t speak the language. They don’t understand American culture. The first few months they cling to my wife for dear life, unsure of how to navigate the already difficult waters of adolescence. They don’t feel like they belong.

Each year her class watches the movie, “The Outsiders,” based on the novel by S.E. Hinton. The protagonist in the story, Ponyboy Curtis, born into a poor neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma, doesn’t really fit in anywhere. He’s too smart and sensitive to be one of the Greasers, the gang of rough kids who live around him. He’s not rich enough to be a Soc. Instead, he’s stuck in the middle, trying to find his way amidst the violence and upheaval of a social class war.

The kids in my wife’s ESL class get it. They resonate with Ponyboy and realize that what they are feeling is not unique to their own lives, but is a part of the human condition.

 

Jesus, The Outsider

Jesus certainly felt it. He never quite belonged. He was never really accepted by most. There was no station in life that could contain him.

At the age of twelve, when it was time for him to start learning the family trade, he basically ran away from home (Lk. 2:43). 2Perhaps, “ran away from home” is too harsh a description of what happened. However, the story certainly depicts a brilliant and precocious child who already had a sense that he was not born to be a tekton (craftsman) like his father, Joseph. It is no coincidence that this “losing Jesus” scene is played out when he is twelve years old. That is the typical age when a young boy’s spiritual training in Torah would shift to more practical training in the family trade. Jesus was bristling against that shift. His parents searched for him and found him in the Jerusalem temple debating and impressing the biblical scholars of the day.

Mary, his mother scolded him. He told her – Where did you expect me to be? This is the closest thing to home for me – my Father’s house. This is where I belong (Lk. 2:49). But, he didn’t belong. They didn’t want him.

He tried the Baptizer movement. It was appealing to him because it was located outside of the corridors of power – outside of the accepted society. Outside was a place that was very familiar to Jesus. John the Baptizer affirmed Jesus, at first (Jn. 1:29). But, then John was arrested and Jesus was forced to leave the movement (Mt. 4:12). They were unsure of him. 3Jesus’ relationship within the Baptizing movement is complex and interesting. Jesus had a great respect for John. John respected Jesus, but his followers were not always sure. John’s disciples were often compared to those of Jesus. There seemed to be somewhat of a rivalry (between the disciples, if not the founders). And Jesus, at some point, felt the need to distinguish his movement from that of John, defining the latter as a precursor to the former. It is significant that John was also rumored to have been raised from the dead and that there were self-identified followers of John well into the third century BC. Relevant passages – Mt. 9:14; 11:1-3; Mk. 1:14; 2:18; 6:14; 8:28; Lk. 7:18-20; Jn. 3:22-30). He didn’t belong.

He tried preaching in Nazareth, the village where he was raised. They rejected him (Lk. 4:16-30). He didn’t belong.

He tried preaching in the synagogues of Galilee. They ousted him (Jn. 9:22). He didn’t belong.

Eventually, he was forced into isolation – pushed to the margins. No town or village wanted him (Jn. 11:54). The ruling powers demonized him (Mk. 3:22; Jn. 8:48-59). He didn’t belong.

This shouldn’t be a surprise.

 

Living As An Outsider

Listen to this brief but powerful testimony from Michele de Miranda. Michele describes what it feels like to be an outsider, both from an ethnic and socio-economic perspective. Her testimony is 4 minutes long.

 

 

Four Principles For Outsiders

Jesus, the ultimate outsider, never really belonged in this world. He brought something from another world to us – light for our darkness – love for our hatred – forgiveness for our sins. “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (Jn. 1:11).

So, what can we learn about being an outsider? What do you do when you don’t quite belong?

1. He surrounded himself with the few who were open to him.

Jesus created a family – a fictive kinship group – with those who had faith in him. They didn’t always understand him. They weren’t always faithful to his teachings. But, their hearts were always with him.

Don’t neglect those who truly love you in some futile attempt to convince everyone to love you.

2. He had a deep understanding of his “north star.”

Jesus lived his life out of a deep belief that love would conquer everything. This was his “north star” – his guiding principle. He never veered from it – even when it meant submitting to the cross.

Know what your “north star” is and never, ever cash it in for popularity or acceptance or worldly-success.

3. He found his sense of self-worth in the One who sent him.

The in-crowd despised Jesus. His teachings were a threat to their way of life. Eventually, his existence became intolerable to them (Mt. 26:4; Mk. 11:18; Lk. 19:47). But Jesus never received his sense of self-worth from what they thought of him. He knew that he came from the Father, was someday returning to the Father, and was loved by the Father (Jn. 10:30; 17:21). That’s all Jesus needed.

You are “the Beloved” of the Father. Let that be enough.

4. He focused on his one mission.

Jesus was never enamored by what others thought of him. He did not let himself get derailed by the demands of the crowd. When the people wanted more miracles, he demurred. When the masses wanted more time with him, he said to his disciples: “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” (Mk. 1:38).

Know and understand why you were born. Then let nothing derail you from that one purpose.