Don't You See The Family Resemblance?

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." - Galatians 3:28 (NKJV)

One of my favorite movies of all time is based on a true story from Alexandria, Virginia - "Remember the Titans." It shows what happened when three segregated high schools were forced to integrate into one school. The football teams had to combine, with racial tensions running high throughout the community.

Two of the main characters are both great players: Gary Bertier, the white team captain, and Julius Campbell, an all-star African American player. At first, they couldn't stand each other. They were forced to be together. They wanted to stay separated. The football team, with both white and black players, had to figure out what it looked like to get along, helping the community as a whole learn to integrate as well.

Something beautiful happened during the football season. Through working together, sweating together, and fighting for the same goal, they became genuine friends. Not just teammates, but brothers. The team went on to have a winning season and win the championship, bringing together not just the school but the whole community.

However, at a climactic moment in the movie, tragedy struck. Gary Bertier was in a car crash that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He ended up in the hospital, and when Julius Campbell came to visit late one night, the nurse said, "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over for friends."

Here's the line I want you to remember. Gary Bertier, from his hospital bed, looked at that nurse and said, "Nurse, are you blind? Can't you see this is my brother? Don't you see the family resemblance?"

Brothers and sisters in Christ. That's what Paul is trying to tell us in Ephesians 2:11-18. These two boys didn't look anything alike on the outside - one was white, one was black. But something had happened that went deeper than skin color. They had become family.

That's what happens when the blood of Jesus gets applied to your soul. You start recognizing family members you never knew you had. People who don't talk like you, don't look like you, don't have your same background, but they love Jesus. They're in the family. Don't you see the family resemblance?

Reflection Question: When you look at fellow believers who are different from you, how does recognizing the "family resemblance" change those relationships?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for making us all one family in Christ Jesus. Help me to see past the surface differences and recognize the family resemblance we all share as Your children. When I meet fellow believers who don't look like me or sound like me, help me to see them as my brother or sister. Make our love for each other so obvious that the world will know we are Your disciples. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from "Jesus Brings Us Close" (Ephesians 2:11-18): https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/vzn9mr6/9-jesus-brings-us-close-eph-2-11-18