Parakalein

Imagine the Jewish mindset.  They were the called people of God.  They were special because God had called them.  True. So when Jesus challenged their traditions and threatened their sense of being special they rejected the Gospel because it sounded like they were being disposed.  Yet they were not being disposed, there ego "it is all about me being called of God" was just being deposed.  The Jews rejected the Gospel because they felt they were special to God and did not want to share that status with anyone. So to the Jew the Gospel was a stumbling block.  They stumbled over the idea that they were God's special people rather than being God's special people and letting the world be blessed by their humility and courage.  They could not handle, "It is not about you" because they wanted it to be all about them. It is about everyone, you'all as the southerner would say, being loved by God.

The Greeks and the gentiles felt they were blessed by God with great wisdom, sages of the ages.  The sad news was that the Gospel seemed like foolishness to them. The good news of the Gospel is the wisdom of God is available to all regardless of anything.  The wise could not handle that it was not about them and their wisdom just as the Jews could not handle that it was not about them and their calling.  It is about everyone being loved of God and everyone having the wisdom of God within.

The wisdom of God James tells us is peaceable and loving, humble and courageous, life changing and love transforming.

Today different religious groups think it is "all about them" being right, scientific groups the same, intellectuals the same, psychologist the same.  To all churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, cathedrals or huts the Gospel proclaims the same good news:  "It is not about you", God's love is all around you and within you and around and in all of us and that is the good news.

Whenever I hear the words:  "it is not all about you" I hear an invitation to step aside and affirm God is on none one's side but is alongside all of us! When I am tempted to say "it is not all about you", I am reminded that it is not all about me either!

To God be the Glory to all humanity be the goodness of the good news!  We are all special in different ways which is why it is not "all about anyone" of us but "all about all of us".