Getting Through the Tough Stuff of Prejudice

In this piercing and courageous message, Chuck Swindoll confronts the ugly reality of prejudice, describing it as a cruel, tragic force that "knows no bounds". While society often views prejudice merely as a social issue, Swindoll identifies it as a deep-seated sin problem rooted in the depravity of the human heart. Drawing from Mark 7, he explains that defilement proceeds from "within," where evil thoughts—including the roots of prejudice—fester and inevitably spill out as slander and hostility. Swindoll explores how prejudice pursued Jesus throughout His entire life. He faced geographical prejudice as a Jew traveling through Samaria, religious prejudice from Pharisees who questioned His lineage, and political prejudice regarding Roman taxation,. The sermon culminates at the cross, where Swindoll identifies the crucifixion as the ultimate act of prejudicial brutality. He notes that Pilate recognized it was out of "envy" (a synonym for prejudice in this context) that the religious leaders handed Jesus over to be killed. Using powerful illustrations—including the book Black Like Me and personal admissions of his own upbringing—Swindoll argues that prejudice is a learned trait that keeps people in spiritual darkness and binds them to the past,,. The message concludes with a call to meet Christ at the crossroads, allowing Him to "soften our spirits" and wash away the learned hate of previous generations, just as He died to pay the penalty for the sin of prejudice.

Message Key Facts:

• The Definition of Prejudice: Swindoll defines prejudice as "preconceived judgment or opinion" or an "irrational attitude of hostility." Etymologically, it means to "pre-judge"—to form an opinion prematurely based on ideas passed down by others rather than facts.
• The Three Characteristics of Prejudice:
  1. It is a Learned Trait: No one is born prejudiced. Swindoll shares the personal example of his grandmother, who was "honed on hate" after seeing the Union Army burn her family's crops, a bitterness that was passed down to his father.
  2. It Keeps Us in Darkness: Using the analogy of the eye in Matthew 6, Swindoll explains that if the eye is "bad" (prejudiced), the whole body is filled with darkness, distorting how we see and treat everyone around us.
  3. It Binds Us to the Old: Deeply prejudiced people are rarely creative or innovative. Swindoll cites historical examples of people rejecting chloroform, steamships, and even Albert Einstein due to a refusal to accept the new or different,,.
• "Black Like Me": Swindoll references John Howard Griffin’s 1960 book, in which a white man darkened his skin to travel the South. The experiment revealed that although he was the "same man inside," the prejudice of others caused them to treat him with hostility solely based on his appearance.
• Jesus and Geographical Prejudice: In Jesus' day, Jews hated Samaritans so deeply they would usually cross the Jordan River to avoid walking through Samaria. Jesus broke this barrier in John 4 by traveling directly through the region and speaking to a Samaritan woman.
• The "Man Like Me" Parallel: Swindoll draws a parallel between Griffin's book and the Incarnation. He describes the Gospels as a story that could be titled Man Like Me, where the perfect Son of God became a man to die for the sins of a prejudiced people.
• Pilate’s Insight: Pontius Pilate, though a weak leader, was the only one who came close to giving Jesus a fair trial. He correctly identified that the religious leaders had delivered Jesus up because of "envy" (prejudice).

Message References:

• Mark 7:18–23: Jesus explains that defilement comes from "within," out of the heart of men, listing "evil thoughts" and "slander" as things that defile a person,.
• Matthew 27:27–44: The account of the Roman soldiers mocking Jesus, stripping Him, and crowning Him with thorns—a demonstration of "prejudicial brutality".
• Matthew 6:22–23: The metaphor of the eye as the lamp of the body; if the eye is clear, the body is full of light, but a bad eye leads to great darkness.
• John 4:1–9: The narrative of Jesus traveling through Samaria and asking a Samaritan woman for a drink, violating the social code that "Jews have no dealings with Samaritans",.
• John 8:38–48: The tense exchange where religious leaders accuse Jesus of being illegitimate ("born of fornication") and hurl the racial slur, "You are a Samaritan and have a demon",.
• Matthew 22:15–22: The Pharisees attempt to trap Jesus regarding political prejudice and the payment of the poll tax to Caesar.

Message Speaker:

Pastor Chuck Swindoll