How do we connect with people who think differently, than we do? Can we really become “all things to all people?” It sounds difficult, at best, and perhaps impossible. But Paul tried. In his letter to the Corinthians, he said, “To the Jews, I became like a Jew to win the Jews . . . I have become all things to all men, so that by all possible means, I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:19-22). This was not a hypothetical statement for Paul.
When did Paul become like a Jew to win the Jews? We see it in this story. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Paul received a warm welcome. When he went up to see James and explained his continued success reaching Gentiles, the leaders in Jerusalem asked him to perform a Jewish ceremonial function. They said, “Take a vow and pay for the others who take vows, and nobody will be able to say you are against Judaism.” It sounded like a plan. To the point, in order to reach the Jews, Paul was willing to continue a tradition which was not essential to the gospel. Why? The Jews were important to him, and this ritual was important to the Jews.
In Christ, we can find common ground with people who think differently than we do. This helps us with the present polarization in our world. In our anxious world, many see relationships as a zero sum. The reasoning is: either I am completely right, or you are completely right. If you are right, then I am wrong and vice versa. Good news: God’s love has never been a zero sum. Christ is enough to unite us, even if we love the Astros and someone else loves the Rangers. If I need to wear a Rangers uniform to share the love of Christ, I will do it. You get the point.
The chairman of deacons and chairman of the search committee that called me to my first church helped me with this: “We can disagree without being disagreeable.” When we reach out to others in good faith, we may find that our disagreements are not enough to divide us. Edwin Markham put it this way, “He drew a circle that shut me out. Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win. We drew a circle that took him in.”
