Yesterday we introduced the thought that each of us, as a human, has our own little kingdom. To further that discussion, today, I want to talk about how every one of these kingdoms operates under a philosophy, which is known as a worldview. A worldview is a lens through which you view circumstances and situations; it’s sort of a mish-mash of your religion, culture, background, family life and socioeconomic factors, such as education. Your worldview provides a framework in which you see and process tragedy and victory and through which you perceive meaning and purpose in life. In short, there are four essential questions that a worldview attempts to answer. The first question is who am I? The second one is where am I? The third one is what’s the problem? And the fourth one is what’s the solution?

In Jesus’ day, there were two primary groups that attempted to answer those questions: the Jews and the Romans. The Romans taught that you were 100% what you did and what you achieved. Naturally, that was bad news for children with disabilities, or for the poor and elderly because by their nature, they couldn’t do as much. On the other hand, the Pharisees taught that you were dirty and that the only way to achieve holiness was to separate from unclean people. Again, not a very inviting worldview, especially for bacon-eating tax collectors and other “sinners.”

So Jesus came into a world that offered two major ways to see people and situations, but neither one of them was helpful or hopeful. This is why it was such a big deal when He got up on a mountain and began to speak to a bunch of outcasts — sick people, outsiders and Samaritans — telling them that they were blessed because they were meek, poor in spirit and sad. You see, friend, the Kingdom of God is for everyone and it alone offers hope to ALL of humanity, no matter how un-lovely they are in the world’s eyes. Isn’t that the best news?