“One day some people said to Jesus, "John the Baptist's disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are your disciples always eating and drinking?" (Luke 5:33 NLT)
The disciples of Jesus did not act normally--according to the standards of their culture. The community questioned Jesus about this. Why would he tolerate this atypical behavior?
In statistics, given a normal bell curve, 68% of values lie within one standard deviation of the mean. Life is always simpler for those who are part of a supermajority. Therefore, society has a habit of pushing people to be normal. Those who are atypical are often forced to fit in--whether by trying harder or pretending to be something they are not. This can be traumatic to those who don’t fit the norms. It can also be challenging to those who love and accept them as they are. Communities usually apply pressure indirectly through those who are closest to the nonconformists.
Jesus himself was atypical, and He made space in His life for misfits. He practiced unconditional love and acceptance. He was considerate to outsiders. As followers of Christ, we are called to extend grace to those who are different--to be inclusive and compassionate.
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