Lesson 28: Why Do We Look Different? Part 2

“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved’” (Romans 10:12–13).

Some people groups tend to have dark, curly hair with dark eyes, and dark skin. Other groups have black, straight hair, dark almond-shaped eyes, and lighter skin. Still others have light hair, blue eyes, and very fair skin.

Why? Well, it started around 4,200 years ago—at a place called Babel (probably corresponding to the later name Babylon). Noah’s descendants had decided to disobey the Creator’s command to spread out and fill the earth after the great Flood. They wanted to stay together; so they built a tall tower (Genesis 11:4). So, God gave to each family group a different language. This made it impossible for the groups to understand each other. So they split apart. Each extended family went its own way and found a different place to live.

As they went, each of these groups took with it its own special set of characteristics (for instance, for lighter skin and eye color, or for darker skin and eye color). These people’s characteristics were passed through their DNA to their children, and so on. Because the groups no longer freely mixed with other groups, the characteristics of each became more and more prominent as new generations of children were born.

If we were to travel back in time to Babel, and mix up the people into completely different family groups, then people groups with completely different characteristics might result. For instance, we might find a fair-skinned group with tight, curly dark hair that has blue, almond-shaped eyes, or a group with very dark skin, blue eyes, and straight brown hair!

Even though we may speak very different languages, we are actually all part of the same family. Noah was the great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, etc., grandfather of us all!

We’re All Different

Sometimes people use the differences between us (hair color, skin color, etc.) as an excuse to do terrible things to other people: tease them, call them names, fight with them—even hurt or kill them.

Wars have been fought because of the idea that some people groups are better than others, perhaps because their bodies aren’t as hairy or their arms aren’t as long. (Japanese biologists taught this in the years leading up to World War II.) One time, a man was put on display in a zoo’s monkey house simply because he was a pygmy from Africa. He was thought to be “less evolved” than the zookeepers!

These terrible crimes were committed because people chose not to regard the biblical teaching that we’re really all the same.

We’re All the Same

We all have the same skin-coloring pigment (just more or less of it); we all have eyes, noses, mouths, and hair (well, most of us do). And the Bible teaches that we all come from the same two people (Adam and Eve—Acts 17:26). We all have the same Creator God (Acts 17:24–25). The Bible also tells us that we all have the same problem—sin—that separates each of us from God (Romans 3:23). We therefore all have the same need for a Savior (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). The real reason we don’t get along with everyone all the time is not because of our differences, but because we’re all sinners. With the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus taught us that we are to love our neighbors—no matter what people group they are part of (Luke 10:25–37).

We All Have the Same Choice

No matter what color our skin, where we live, or how we talk, we are all faced with the same choice: where we will spend eternity. The Creator God offers the gift of spending eternity with Him to those who believe that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for their sin by dying on a cross and rising again three days later (John 3:18). Those who refuse this gift will spend forever in a place of darkness and torment. What will you choose?

Want to learn more? Read the entire Answers for Kids Student Handout Set online!