UNITY IN RESPONSE TO INJUSTICE!
We should be speaking out against injustice wherever we find it. People should also be held accountable for their actions and face the consequences. We should not judge or condemn anyone because of race, gender or ethic origin. This is happening all over our world right now, just not always in front of a camera.
I have given a lot of thought to the trouble dominating the news from America at the moment, and being picked up worldwide. The recent gruesome murder of George Floyd by a group of Minneapolis police officers is just one of the many horrors taking place in full view of cameras and therefore the world. Our world is in such a state of unrest right now, fears of the global pandemic which is still with us, and mass demonstrations for peace, some of which are ending in violence. This article is not about changing a system which is clearly wrong, it is for us as individuals to think about how and why we respond the way we do as Christians, and whether it fits with what God wants.
I have also given a lot of thought to the demonstrations, riots, violence and deaths that dominate social media right now, predominantly around the campaign by #blacklivesmatter#. I am also aware that in the wake of the deaths and violence the opinion that All Lives has been negatively used and now engenders strong reactions on all sides. But do you know there are more than two sides to this? It’s why I’ve waited to speak out. I was reminded of the scripture verses in Joshua 5:13-15;
Let us, as Christians, hold ourselves to a different standard, Heaven’s standard. Let us seek Heaven’s perspective in this, that we, as Christians may be united in our response to injustice and murder wherever it happens. And may our response be tempered with that perspective.
“Now, when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’. ‘Neither’, he replied, ‘but as Commander of the Army of the Lord I have now come’. Then Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence, and asked him, ‘What message does my Lord have for his servant?’. The Commander of the Lord’s Army replied, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you stand is holy’. And Joshua did so”.
God doesn’t take sides in our affairs. He has His own plans and purposes we get to be a part of, and He sees a bigger picture. Joshua realised this and bowed down, before the battle of Jericho and asked God’s perspective.
You might say that Joshua didn’t live with persecution and violence every day, such as is being portrayed in American, in Britain and elsewhere in the world. But what about Jesus? He was born in a time where Romans ruled much of the earth, and they were a violent people who subjugated the Jewish people. There were soldiers on the street. The Jews were clinging to their way of life but it didn’t stop violence and murder on both sides. So I ask myself, what would Jesus perspective be? He responded to people of faith, not just those like Himself. In Matthew 8: 5-13, we see Jesus healing a Roman Centurion’s servant.
He didn’t judge the Roman Centurion by how many Jews he had persecuted, or how many people he’d had tortured or nailed to the tree. He just saw the heart of the man. This would not have been a popular decision but He did it anyway. When He was on the cross one of the last things He said was ‘Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing’ (Luke 23:34). I believe this included the Roman soldiers who were physically abusive to Him, and nailed Him to the tree.
The Scripture’s Standard
Jesus came for those who would believe, and we often look at the parable of the lost sheep (Matthew 18:12-14 and Luke 15:3-7) and can identify the days Jesus went looking for us. We can look at George Floyd and others who died at the hands of the police and say they are lost sheep too. But Heaven’s perspective doesn’t differentiate between skin colour, gender or what side of an argument you are on. No! Heaven’s eyes see that all sides have lost sheep and also found, safe sheep.
Any police officer involved in public murder, like in the case of George Floyd, and many others, are lost sheep just as much as Floyd was before his death.
So, for me, every life matters because they do to Heaven. The police officers should be punished for taking a human life. These men should face the consequences of their actions even if they think they can justify what they did. However, but they are also to be pitied because they don’t see that every life matters and is of equal value to their own. We can’t read the scriptures and be selective how we apply them. “For all men have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Some have to be forgiven more than others, and all need a Saviour.
The scripture 1 Timothy 4:12 jumped out at me today. With a small word change it can be applied to this and any other situation we find ourselves in:
“Let no one look down on you because you are young [disabled, black, white, male, female, old, employed, unemployed] but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity”.
United We Stand!
Let us, as Christians, hold ourselves to a different standard, Heaven’s standard. Let us seek Heaven’s perspective in this, that we, as Christians may be united in our response to injustice and murder wherever it happens. And may our response be tempered with that perspective.
So in conclusion, let me be clear. We should be speaking out against injustice wherever we find it. People should also be held accountable for their actions and face the consequences. We should also not judge or condemn anyone because of race, gender or ethic origin. This is happening all over our world right now, just not always in front of a camera.
God says not to judge though. He will do that! Romans 12:19 says “Justice is mine, I will repay”. Ask yourself whether you are prepared to wait for God to move. Do you trust Him to move?
How many Israelites, like the Apostles, cried out to God because Saul was persecuting them? His perspective, His response, was to convert Saul to Paul and use him to further the gospel. So, seek Heaven’s perspective first because it might surprise you.
