Friday, January 13, 2012

Still the Biggest Scandal in History

I know a married couple with a child. Actually, I know of them. I’ve talked to each of them, but they never give me a verbal answer. Anyway, when this couple decided to get married, the girl was 14-years-old – 15 tops! The guy was older. No one really knows how much older, but some people guess in his 40s or 50s. Some people think he was divorced or a widower, but he is a mystery man. No one really has much detail. You have to wonder if he was some kind of pervert for wanting to marry a 14-year-old girl.

The girl was about the sweetest person you’ve ever met, always making people feel good in her presence. Seemingly very religious, she was quiet and didn’t talk about it. They got engaged, and no one in the town seemed to say anything even though the girl was so young. Before they were married, this young girl gets pregnant! Again, it should have been a major scandal. Where was the outcry from the good people? The girl inexplicably said it was not the guy that got her pregnant. It was the “Holy Spirit.” Who could buy a story like this? As far as I could tell, no one said anything except for her cousin, who thought it was great. She must be some sick-o. I can’t believe no one took action and had this child-abusing guy arrested.

I guess they didn’t want anyone to be around when the baby was born, so they ignored her health and traveled to another town when she was ready to have the kid. The guy must have been poor or cheap, because she had the baby in a stable. Not only should he have been arrested for child abuse, both should have been arrested for child endangerment.

Amazingly, the kid was born without a hitch and grew up healthy. Everyone seemed to love him until some of the religious establishment had him killed. It all catches up to you eventually!

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I’d like you to think of your reactions as you read this story. Did you raise your eyebrows? Did you gasp? Did you shake your head? (I think in the Bible, they refer to is as “wagging your head.”) Did you recognize the story of Jesus, Mary and Joseph? This is a story that almost everyone has heard since childhood. Many cherish this story and it is a pillar of their faith. We are easily influenced by our biases and preconceived notions. We are taught categorization from birth. Were you so quick to judge that you were angry about a story that is the basis of faith for quite an extensive number of people in the world?

Perhaps you recognize the story of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. All true, but most people would never want Joseph arrested. People love Mary and many claim she was the best human ever born. You probably have heard what kind of person Jesus grew up to be.

Rather than jumping to conclusions and judging, we might consider learning about people and enjoying them for who they are. If any of us are lucky enough to be face-to-face with Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I’ll bet we’d react differently than we might have when we were reading the story.

Enjoy other people. Enjoy Diversity.


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