NOT YOUR STEREOTYPE

“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law, and also the prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ Nazareth! Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  John 1:45-46 NKJV

A stereotype is a fixed generalized belief about a particular group or class of people that develop over a period of time.  No group of people has been the victim of stereotyping like blacks in America.  In his book “Begin Again”, Eddie Glaude Jr. writes about how stereotypes helped whites “frame the lie of their superiority to blacks and justify their hatred and mistreatment.”

Black people have been stereotyped as lazy, dishonest, sexually promiscuous, criminal, and intellectually deficient to name a few. 

 In the verses above, we see that people from Nazareth were victims of stereotypes in Jesus’ day.  Apparently, people from Nazareth were despised by the Galileans just for being Nazarenes.   Nathaniel asked: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

This question is still asked today.  Can anything good come from the black people?  Can anything good come from the hood?  Can anything good come from a fatherless child?  Can anything good come from poverty?  The answer is a resounding yes!  God can use and bless anybody.

Prayer: Dear God, stereotyping did not keep your Son Jesus from fulfilling His purpose.  Do not let it keep black and brown people from rising to the purpose you have for them.  Help us to live with confidence in You that proclaims to the world: “I am not your stereotype!” Amen.

© 2020 Dr. John Ogletree – Houston, TX