We often surround ourselves with people who are like us. People who tick our boxes, enjoy the same things we do, and share our political inclination.
It's natural. We want to be around people who we get on with, make us comfortable, and maybe make us feel good about ourselves. And that's OK. There's nothing wrong with hanging out with people who are similar to us – in fact, that close connection with a friend who thinks like you and is interested in the things you are interested in is one of the great joys of friendship.
It's that connection that so many people long for, and, as C.S. Lewis said, although "it has no survival value... it is one of those things that gives value to survival."
But that's not the end of the story for Christians. We might be perfectly happy living life surrounded by 'our type of people', but the reality is that the Kingdom of God looks a little different.
With Jesus as the great unifier, community or friendship can be built with people who we less obviously have things in common with. This is in many ways exciting, but it can also be a little uncomfortable. We are more likely to have both our opinions and our values challenged.
A shared faith in Christ can break down the walls that are so often built up in the world, breaking through barriers of political persuasion, culture and social standing.
Here are three Biblical stories that show us how it can be done:
1. Jonathan and David
David and Jonathan weren't the most obvious of pals. In fact, Jonathan's dad, Saul, was actually trying to kill David. Saul was the King of Israel, which meant naturally Jonathan was heir to the throne. However, God had said that David was to be the next King.
Politically, Jonathan and David should have been enemies. But Jonathan chose to put God's will above his own political ambition and remained loyal to his friend, even making "a covenant with the house of David." He also "had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself." (1 Samuel 20.16-17)
Jonathan prioritised his faith in God when it came to his friendship with David, humbling himself to His will, even when it cost him personally.
2. Ruth and Naomi
Ruth's late husband was Naomi's son. When he died, they were living in Moab. Ruth could have chosen to stay in her homeland, but her loyalty to Naomi meant she went with her to Israel, both as a foreigner and a widow.
Ruth said to Naomi: "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." (Ruth 1.16)
Ruth would have been expected to stay in Moab, among her own people, however she chose to go to a foreign land, to an unknown people out of her loyalty to her mother-in-law and a new faith.
She chose God and her friendship with her mother-in-law above her culture.
3. Jesus with the tax collectors and sinners
Jesus was not afraid to look beyond his natural kinship for friendship. In Luke 5, he spends an evening at a banquet at the house of Levi with tax collectors and sinners.
When challenged on why he was keeping such company by the Pharisees, Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance," (Luke 5.31-2). He was not condoning their life choices, but he was willing to look beyond their circumstances to their hearts, and then love them.
Similarly, there can be a temptation – as a Christian – to surround ourselves with others who we deem 'suitable', but the way Jesus lived is a challenge to us to step out and engage with those on the fringes of society. As Jesus went into dark places and brought light, so can we. We get to invest in friendships where we might just be the vehicle of that light for someone else.
There is a challenge in the Bible to live differently – to be in, but not of the world – and where better to begin than with the relationships in our lives. Instead of looking to superficial similiarites and subscribing to societal stereotypes, let's look a little deeper and allow Jesus to bring us closer to people who might not be such an obvious fit.
