PODCAST

Culture Shift

April 19th, 2023

Luke 10:30-37

Sociologists refer to cultural perception. Basically it means how people learn to view their world from within their particular culture.

Jesus grew up in Nazareth, a small enclave of Jewish culture. However, Nazareth was located in a region populated by people from a wide variety of ethnic, religious, cultural, and language groups. Jewish people typically avoided interaction with people of other cultures. Jesus often challenged these accepted cultural perceptions (See Matthew 8:5-13; Mark 7:24-30; John 4:1-42). That is certainly true in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Jesus’ mission was to establish a new culture. He called it “the kingdom of God” (Luke 4:43). “People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last” (Luke 13:29-30). Jesus still challenges our cultural perceptions. As citizens of God’s kingdom do we have words, attitudes, or actions that need to be conformed to Jesus’ example?

Author: Duane Brush