I love how the angel, in his announcement of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, says that this good news is for everybody.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luke 2:10 (KJV)
He didn’t say that these glad tidings were only for the Jews, or the rich, or the holy priests, or the well-known and respected people. No, it was for “all people.”
That included:
- the sick, crippled, deaf, blind, etc.
- the outcast
- the poor
- the unnoticed
- the despised
- the stranger
- the ones of different races and languages
To put it simply, it included everybody.
God is not a partial or picky God. He’s not exclusive, only allowing certain people to join His Family.
He wants everyone to come to Him, to be saved, to live with Him for eternity; He loves each and every single human being.
And since we are His children, that’s the way we should be. We should not be partial or picky, not liking only certain people, not turning someone away because of who they are (or aren’t). We should desire that everyone become a part of the Family, and love them all unconditionally.
The “good tidings of great joy”–the news of a Savior come to earth to redeem us, the story of God’s unending love for the people He created, the announcement of the opportunity for life and forgiveness and a place in the Family–is for everybody.
