box-of-god

[box-of-god]

I’m writing this in the wake of George Floyd’s death, and all the events that have followed. To preface, I am a white woman, I feel that it’s important to consider that when hearing my thoughts on these things. Essentially I want to walk through the examples I can find of Jesus’ actions and attitudes relating to what’s going on today, and speak my thoughts on the actions of some people who proclaim themselves to be Christians. I’m no bible scholar, nor am I an expert in the arena of social, racial, or political issues, so I may get some things misconstrued, so take all this with a grain of salt. 

Jesus and political injustice

The interpretation of Matthew 5:38-42 I am using in my take on this topic comes from this podcast Bema Discipleship Podcast Episode 96 18:34

It takes into consideration the cultural and political climate of the time it was written. The scripture at face value from a modern lens is a nice teaching, but I feel that the added context of the historical social implications of what’s being said adds a new layer that is highly applicable to what’s going on now. 

The gist of what I take away is that Jesus promotes acts that highlight and call out instances of injustice. A roman soldier can ask you to carry his things for one mile, but the law says he cannot ask you to go any farther than that. Jesus says to carry his bag for two miles anyways. With the cultural context, it doesn’t seem to be suggested as an act of kindness, but an act of protest. An act that is meant to point out how unfair it is that you were forced to carry his bag in the first place. This sort of act could provoke the solider in some way, could get him in trouble. It seems to say, the system is corrupt, the laws are corrupt, do something to spite them. This act of going an extra mile is technically non-violent, but it is also actively doing something you know the person in a position of power is not going to want you to do. It could be seen as framing the soldier for a crime, framing to make it look like he was breaking the rules set out for him. 

How that translates to modern day, what implications that has on our current situation, I’m not sure. What I want to bring up with this is that modern Christians in America tend to portray Jesus as a passive guy. 

The core of Jesus’ teaching is love. Love is not passive. I don’t think the teaching of turning the other cheek is necessarily “stand by and do nothing because that makes you the bigger person,” but somewhere closer to, “If you are being treated unjustly, use it to make a statement. Don’t give them the satisfaction of reacting in the way they want you to.” Don’t fight back, but also, don’t run away. Stand up for the rights of yourself and those around you. 

My personal opinion is that the people focusing on the riots are actively choosing ignorance. They are taking the focus away from the message and purpose of the protests. (this is where that whole love thing comes in)

If you saw someone slap back the Roman soldier instead of turning the other cheek, and you focused on the civilian's actions instead of the Roman soldier’s abuse of power? That seems a bit messed up to me. You can empathize with a person being treated treated unjustly while disagreeing with their reaction. The rest of the world is not required to live up to Jesus’ teachings. If they don’t claim Jesus as Lord, then you have no right to ask them to live the way you do. Plain and simple. (1 Corinthians 5:12)

I have heard of cases of police acting violently against peaceful protests without warning. Of undercover cops being the ones to start the first domino of violence in otherwise peaceful protests. Of bricks being strategically placed to encourage violence. We all live under a system that is unfair and unjust to the people living under it, and you choose to spend your time judging other people’s reactions to this unfairness? These people are crying out for there to be change, crying out for you to care about what is being done to them, and you choose to rebuke them for how they call out in the midst of immense suffering? You have the opportunity to stand up and speak out against injustice, and you choose to judge the people who are in a less fortunate position than you are in? That is where your priorities lie? 

Today I heard someone say “The world doesn’t need social justice, the world needs the gospel.”

And my personal opinion is that what the gospel stood for is social justice. It seems so obvious to me that it baffles me that people don’t see it that way.  (Luke 7:22, Luke 14:13, 1 John 3:17-18) Jesus teaches to care for those that have been put at a disadvantage within society. He constantly holds in high regards those that are considered social outcasts, those that have been neglected and mistreated by society, and calls us to do the same. (ex: widows and lepers)

We are called to love. First and foremost, and above all else. Matthew 22:36-40. Those who claim to follow Jesus, yet are faster to pass judgement than they are to love, should really take a step back and examine themselves.

I believe giving to the needy includes giving our voice and support to those who need it. If you are someone who thinks in a conversation about the Black Lives Matter movement, it is necessary to debate its validity and motives? You’re missing the point. If you think that all lives matter in the eyes of our law enforcement as a whole, you are not paying attention. I encourage you to take some time to actually listen to what is being said. Inform yourself on the countless instances of racially charged police brutality in recent times, and how they were handled. 

One bad cop doesn't make them all bad, but when a bad cop is not held accountable for their actions, when a pattern emerges of police acting with unnecessary force and violence against specific groups of people, and they continue to walk away free of consequences? It becomes a matter of the policies and culture of our law enforcement. The institution as a whole allows for these “bad cops” to thrive in their positions of power. 

The conversation of what can be done about this is not one I am qualified to have. I just want to say, if you don’t think this is an issue, if you don’t think that something needs to change, you’re willingly ignorant to what is going on. You sit there with the power of your voice, of your care, but refuse to give it to the people who need it. Ask yourself what is at stake for you giving your voice and influence to those in need, and what could be at stake for them if you don’t. You might be uncomfortable, you might get judgement from those around you. The people who need your voice? They risk continuing to live in a world where they are targeted and killed by the people who are supposed to protect them. 

Educate yourself. Allow yourself to love others. Don’t continue in willful ignorance.