“There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for
you are all one in Christ Jesus.” – Galatians 3:28
I am certain that you are aware of the recent death of a man caused
by the actions of a police officer. Just as you are aware of the angry response,
not only of the Black community, but of many others. It seems that a wrongful death
always exposes other, deeper issues that run just under the surface of the
relationships of the people in this country. Social justice is a reasonable expectation
for the people of the United States – after all it is written in our founding
documents. Those documents, at their root, reflect God’s design for mankind. So
why then is there injustice – wrongful deaths – prejudice?
The problem is sin. That may seem too simple an explanation – but that
is at the root of the problem of prejudice and injustice – and every other
relational malady in the world. True harmony between two people, irrespective
of race, color, or social standing is dependent upon the condition of their hearts.
We can write laws – declare them in the documents that form a country – but laws
don’t command the intentions of the heart. Apart from God, and perhaps in spite of God, mankind ( including some Christians) will always
show what a sinful heart is capable of.
“And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ‘Teacher,
what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in
the law? What is your reading of it?’ So he answered and said, ‘You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ And He said to him, ‘You have answered
rightly; do this and you will live.’ But he, wanting to justify himself, said
to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” – Luke 10:25-29
In Matthew 22, Jesus answered the question. In Luke, the one who
asked the question answered his own question. Living a right-life starts with
God and is reflected in right relationships with other people. In the following verses in Luke, Jesus shared
the parable of the Good Samaritan. Based upon how his people were treated, this
man would have justified to do what the priest and Levite did – walk on by – but
he didn’t. If I might have the liberty,
let me update the setting of the story to somewhere in the United States.
(Luke 10:30-37)
“Then Jesus answered and said: ‘A certain man went down from an
affluent part of the city to shop at a mall, and fell among thieves as he
walked to the store, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and
departed, leaving him half dead in an alley way. Now by chance a certain pastor,
from the same side of town, came by that alleyway. And when he saw him, he
passed, he was afraid for his own safety and walked quickly by. Likewise a deacon,
when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and he too was afraid and walked
on thinking the person probably deserved what happened to him – it was someone else’s
problem. He didn’t even know the man and didn’t want to get involved. But a certain man of a different color and
from a poorer side of town, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw
him, he had compassion. …. [Jesus asked] So which of these three do you think
was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?’ And he said, ‘The one who
showed mercy on him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”
People want to be treated with kindness which comes from the
heart. There are many who do indeed treat others as equals even though they are
not born again. But the world does not
remember them. The press does not shout
out their praises. No – people are more likely to remember the evil others do
than the good. The press elevates the
bad above the good. Looking at it a different way – the press reminds us every
day of why the Father sent the Son. And
when that evil happens, it only serves to confirm people’s fears and own
biases. So what to do. Jesus called us lights on a hill – in a dark
place. We are not going to change the
hearts of men – only God can do that.
But we must show the world Jesus by the way we live and love. We don’t
love others that are not like us because we have to – making ourselves do it
whether we want to or not – we love others because God has changed our hearts
and His love dwells in us and manifests itself in the way we treat others. Unfortunately
I have know many Christians who felt justified in their biases, prejudices – not
because of what the Bible said but because of what their people said.
“Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These
people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But
their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the
commandments of men [their fathers].” – Matthew 15:7-9
You have heard it said that “Beauty is only skin deep.” Suggesting
that being attractive does not mean that you have a good heart. But for Christians I would say “Don’t judge a
book by its cover.” We may look different – speak with a different accent –
live in a different part of town – but if we have been born again by the same
Spirit – we are brothers and sisters by faith in Jesus. When I was living in
Haiti, I would preach twice a month in Haitian churches. The first time I preached
at any church I would say, “Mwen pa blan, mwen fre nou” (I am not white – I am
your brother.) I didn’t want them to see me as a white man first – but as a
Christian and their Brother in Christ. I
really don’t know if I convinced anyone – but it was nonetheless true. Then and
now. So how can you fulfill the second greatest commandment? It starts by
obeying the first and showing mercy to others. There is a great divide among
people groups in this country. What is the solution? I have a friend who served
with me in Mississippi. When I would ask
his, “What do you think?” His answer was always the same – no matter what the
circumstance – Jesus Saves. Jesus is the answer to reconciliation of man to God
and to each other.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old
things [including division] have passed away; behold, all things have become
new [including unity and harmony]. Now all [new] things are of God, who has
reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of
reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to
Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the
word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God
were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to
God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
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