The Label Maker

I was thinking today how Christians are excellent label makers. We look at people and instantly give them a “label” based on our assessment –

– She’s such a gossip
– He’s a total jerk
– You know they’re homosexual
– That church is so spiritually shallow

I’m not sure that “label making” made the Bible’s list of spiritual gifts. Seems to me that Jesus was not about labeling people – the woman at the well, the lame man, the girl caught in adultery, the tax collector. Jesus never referred to people by their label. While others used slams like “Samaritan”, “Cripple”, “Harlot”, “Cheat”, Jesus’ responses were more along the lines of:

“Do you want to get well?”
“Go and sin no more.”
“Let’s go grab some grub at your place tonite!”

What a contrast! Jesus said that those without sin are free to cast the first label…I mean stone. I think my label gun just ran out of tape.

Some might try to reload their label maker with Scriptures like Isaiah 5:20 – “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil…” (Notice how I use King James for greater effect!) The thing is, we’re not talking about whitewashing sin here. We shouldn’t be calling sin anything other than what it is – sin – but let’s differentiate the activity from the person. Jesus didn’t back down on sin – but He showed the utmost compassion for those caught in it’s sticky trap. More labels certainly will not help extricate them.

Maybe it’s time to put down the label maker and start seeing people the way Jesus does…as those He loves. The only people He tended to label were the religious ones who He categorized as “snakes” and “white washed tombs”. The pros at lobbing labels ended up with the harshest name tags. And it was those same label makers who accused and crucified Jesus with labels like “blasphemer”, “liar”, “false prophet”. Not sure I want to hang out in the company of label makers if that’s the fruit of their ministry.

We can excuse those without Christ for their label-making. They don’t have Jesus. We do. No excuse for us. But there is one label the world gives Christians who pride themselves in label-making that’s hard to argue with…hypocrite.

That one seems to stick pretty good.