Labels. We are a society that uses labels. It’s the perfect way to tell what’s what. For instance, on a map you label the restaurants, hospitals, and shopping centers, and, of course, streets. We label the foods we eat and the vehicles we drive. That’s all very helpful. The problem comes when we start labeling people.

In the Bible, people were labeled. The Samaritans were only partially Jewish, so they were avoided by the Jews. Tax collectors were despised because of their work. Gentiles, Romans, Greeks, were not of Jewish descent and considered less than. Because of their labels, these people already came with a preconceived ideal in the perceivers mind.

But, Jesus didn’t see them that way. He spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well. He invited Matthew, the tax collector, to be one of His disciples. As for the Gentiles, Romans, and Greeks, scripture says, “For there is no partiality with God.” (Romans 2:11 LSB) God doesn’t see people according to labels they wear, but He sees the heart.

Let’s look at the labels we put on people. We label according to race, financial status, intelligence, gender preference, and political preferences, and many others. These labels might be accurate to a point, but instead of seeing a person, we are looking at them through a preconceived lens. Our labels lead to prejudices that don’t belong in the Christian community.

Think of the last time you’ve heard someone say something like, “The people there are too poor, too conservative, too liberal, too supportive of homosexuality, too (insert race here), too Christian.” What you heard may not be worded exactly like that, but the sentiment is there. I don’t want to associate with people who carry certain labels.

What we are saying is we are not interested in seeing individuals, we are only looking at one aspect of each person and making a judgement call on who they are. This gives us an excuse to exclude certain pockets of society and making our reasoning sound good to ourselves, even if it isn’t valid according to the Bible.

God says we’ll be known by our love. When we judge people according to a label, we are not giving that love a chance to blossom. We’ve put them in a box that says “keep away,” and shoved them out of sight. 

As always, we want to be like Jesus. We want to emulate His actions toward people. We must show the love of Christ, even to those who carry a label we don’t agree with. 

Let’s look at the person. What is important to them? What burdens do they carry? What needs do they have that are unmet? How can we minister to them? What is Jesus asking us to do?

Even if they aren’t going to become your best friend, you can still find a common ground where you can minister to them. Ask God to give you love for this person—the ability to see past the label to what He sees when He looks at them. 

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 LSB)