Tag: love

Hope for Racial Reconciliation Today

On By Jason SmithIn Theology for Life, Why I Believe8 Comments

By Derek L. Jackson and Jason Smith

Our hope in this article is to set the stage for how to think about racism in our nation through a biblical and gospel lens. Racism is so deeply enmeshed in our nation that we cannot afford to ignore it for the problem that it is. We also need to look for peaceful and sustainable solutions. Each of us needs to ask, “How can I do my part in seeing racial reconciliation happen?”

It’s so easy for people of different skin color to talk past one another rather than listen carefully with the goal of understanding. That’s why we made a point of writing this article as a collaborative effort between a black man (Derek) and a white man (Jason). Both of us love Jesus dearly and pray that those in the throes of racial violence may find the hope and peace that only our Lord can give. Although we want to confront some tragic realities in our world, we are also filled with hope because the gospel of God’s grace is greater than all our sin.

Only One Race

We both believe that the Bible is emphatically opposed to any and all forms of racism, bigotry, and hatred. Some have ignorantly claimed that the Bible supports racism by misreading and distorting certain passages, but the reality is that the biblical message offers the only genuine remedy to the plague of racism.

The very first chapter in Genesis, the Bible’s first book, tells us that God created the first man and woman in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). Of all the descriptions of humanity’s origin available, in both ancient and modern literature, you will not find a more magisterial description of our nature. In the Bible alone, we see the fascinating combination of humanity’s extraordinary greatness and tragic depravity.  Because we bear God’s image, every person has unfathomable dignity. Because we are fallen, we are all prone to treat our fellow humans in horrendous ways.

The Bible’s teaching on the image of God condemns every form of racism.  God did not create a white Adam, a black Adam, and a brown Adam, and so on, so that we might wonder if one is superior to another. Instead, the biblical argument goes like this: If we are all images of God, how can you hate another image of God (James 3:9)?  How can you say you love God, whom you have never seen, but hate your brother, your neighbor, God’s image, whom you see every day (1 John 4:20-21)?

According to the Apostle Paul, we all have descended from one man (Acts 17:26). Therefore, we are all blood relatives. The black man and the white man truly are brothers by blood. This doesn’t squelch the beauty of cultural diversity; rather, it affirms the dignity of every person because of our common bond as image bearers of God – a truth that transcends every culture.

The Ultimate Source and Cure for Racism

Many have spoken about the need to end “systemic racism,” and we agree that racial injustice has infected nearly every corner of our nation. However, we also believe that every sin – including racism – begins with the human heart. Our Lord Jesus put it this way, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matthew 15:19). Therefore, it requires a solution that addresses the heart.

In other words, while new laws and policies certainly must be worked for, they ultimately lack the power to uproot all forms of racism. Each of us personally needs nothing less than a total renovation of the heart. That’s where the gospel of Christ comes in. In Christ, people of every ethnicity, background, and gender are united. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. Jesus died for those of every nation and skin color, and through Him, believers are all brought into the one family of the church together.

Paul writes that Christ Himself “is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility… His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility” (Ephesians 2:14-16, ESV).

We all have equal access to God through the one cross. All the racial injustice and prejudice that is all too prevalent in this world is rendered powerless by Christ’s bloody cross, where He absorbed all our sin and reconciled us to our Maker.

The Need to Listen Well

When we hear about racial injustice in the news, we’re often guilty of jumping too quickly to conclusions. I (Jason) know, as a white person, how easy it is to minimize the prevalence of racism in our nation. In many ways, I would like to think that we’ve moved past the racism that has plagued our nation’s history. But in reality the stain of racism has not gone away, and we need to do our part in confronting prejudice wherever we find it, beginning with our own hearts.

We need to listen to those of a different skin tone and background to try and understand and help contribute to the solution. The point of Derek sharing the stories below isn’t to undermine the necessary and noble service of good and faithful police officers, but to give a better understanding of the experience of countless black men and women in America.

There are so many things I (Derek) can say about the death of innocent and/or unarmed black people at the hands of white police officers.  I could say that this a new phenomenon, but that would be a lie.  It’s being recorded on camera more often, but this has been happening for years.  There are television shows and movies that try to shine a light on “The Talk” black parents have with their children, but I don’t know if it is understood by non-blacks that these types of conversations are real. 

As a teenager, I was sat down by my father who taught me how to react to police officers who pull you over or seek to question you.  “Always make your hands visible, always be polite, always follow directions, and always repeat vocally the directions as you’re doing them.” But the lesson that has always stuck with me is when my father told me that the police will always see me as black first. Not as human, not as a man, not as a person, just black. What’s really sad is that I have now had to have the same conversation with my son, and he’s only 11.

The color of my skin comes with certain stereotypical misconceptions.  To some I’m seen as a criminal, dirty, less than, worthless, unintelligent or uneducated, a thief, a murderer, and a gang member.  This has been the plight of the black man and woman for centuries.

I will give one example of my run in with law enforcement. As an Oakland, California, native, I know most areas of the city. While in my early twenties, I was in the Rockridge area of Oakland near College Boulevard.  It is a more astute area of Oakland.  I was coming from a friend’s dance studio in the area one evening, just after dark. The crosswalk light was so fast you would not be able to walk across before it changed. So, as the light turned green, I ran across the street just as a police officer was coming down the street and stopping at the red light. I got into my Honda Accord and waited to see if the police officer would drive past, because in my experience he was going to follow me. He didn’t move after the light turned green. I knew if I could make it to the freeway about a mile away, I’d be fine. So, I started my car and began to drive. Of course, the police officer began to follow behind me.

As I drove towards the freeway, I was extra cautious to follow all traffic laws. The police officer followed me the entire mile. Just before I got to the freeway, he turned his lights on and pulled me over. I remember what my father taught me. Before the officer made it to my door, I already had my wallet out with my license and registration on my dash and my hands on the steering wheel, with window down and engine off.  So, when the officer made it to my car’s driver’s side window, he didn’t ask the usual, “License or registration?”  He stated, “This car has been reported stolen.” 

Now, my little light blue Honda Accord wasn’t much to look at, but it was the first car I bought with my own money and it was in my name. So, how did my car get reported as stolen?  The officer then asked for my license. As I gave him my driver’s license, an operator came over his radio stating the car belongs to Derek Jackson. The officer looked at my license, then at me, and reluctantly handed my driver’s license back to me and told me I was free to go as he walked back to his car.

It may not be a big thing to some, but the fear I had at that moment is something that I should not have had.  This officer didn’t ask if my car had been stolen, he stated that it had been reported as stolen.  I believe if I had not heard what the operator said, it would have been a different story.  That, I believe, was God’s protection.

I have other stories, such as being cursed out by a cop for being young and black or another incident of being handcuffed and put in the back of a police car after being pulled over driving to school. I can’t even get into the times I’ve been followed by police or followed in a store. God has protected me because those situations could have ended with someone posting an RIP on their Instagram or Facebook page. 

We (Derek and Jason) both thank God for those police officers of every skin color who have faithfully served and protected the citizens under their care with diligence, sacrifice, and justice. We need more like them now more than ever.

What Can We Do About It?

But what about those who have suffered death, beatings, false accusations, and harassment from the police or Caucasians who hate blacks because of their skin color? Neither of us had a say in our skin color, but we exult in the fact that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). You were made the way you were on purpose, and we affirm God’s joyful creativity seen in the mosaic of all our varying skin tones. With grieved hearts, we both acknowledge the hatred and racism that can be traced through every era of our nation’s history.  From the unjust killings of American Indians to the unspeakable atrocities of the enslavement of African men and women.

Together, we affirm God’s denunciation of hate and racism. He tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). He doesn’t say, “Love the neighbor who shares your skin color.” He just says, “Love your neighbor.”  Your neighbor is anyone you come in contact with.  We’re to love as God loves, and He loved us so much He sacrificed His Son on a cross to save us from our sin. The blood of Jesus can wash away the stain of hate, the stain of racism, and the stain of bigotry and discrimination.

Scripture tells us to speak up for the rights of the hurting and the oppressed (Proverbs 31:8-9). To be silent is to be complicit in the evil happening before our eyes. At the same time, we must not take personal vengeance into our own hands. Violence only begets more violence. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” We must demand justice for those who are oppressed, but we must always do so in love. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21, NIV). Will you join us in working for racial reconciliation today?

Choosing Self-Denial in a Self-Entitled World

On By Jason SmithIn DevotionalLeave a comment

By Jason Smith

“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside His outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.” (John 13:3-5)

Jesus said some outrageous things. Like the time He looked at His closest friends with a piercing gaze and said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).

Wait a minute. Deny myself? Such an invitation sounds bizarre, not just to our twenty-first century ears, but to first century ears, as well. We live in a culture of self-promotion. Ours is the era of entitlement. We look into the mirror and repeat the motto that we’ve inherited: “You deserve the best.” Advertisements urge us to have it your way and indulge thyself. Feeling thirsty? Well then, “this Bud’s for you.” Want to look young again? No problem, this beauty product will remind you that you are a goddess. Want to do something for yourself for a change? It’s about time. Express yourself!

“I Love Me Some Me”

Did you know that between October 2011 and November 2017, there were 259 selfie-related deaths reported? I’m not kidding. These people died while attempting to capture an impressive or hilarious snapshot of themselves. Many were hit by a train. Some fell off a bridge. Even more slipped off a sheer cliff. According to the 2018 report, men outnumbered women three to one in selfie-related deaths.[1] To counter this growing problem, many sightseeing locations around the world have put up signs prohibiting selfies due to the mortal danger associated with this risky behavior. Think of it: men and women (mostly young men) are literally risking their lives in order to capture a one-second pose so they can post it on social media or share it with friends!

Now, obviously, there is nothing inherently wrong with taking a picture of oneself. However, we should reflect on how often we have acted foolishly in order to be in the spotlight. We can laugh at former wide receiver Terrell Owens’ statement, “I love me some me,” but I say he was just being more honest than most. Although we don’t care to admit it, we’re all prone to narcissism.

Into this self-intoxicated world, our Lord speaks, turning our entire outlook on life upside down. “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (Matthew 16:25, NLT). To those of us who thought the movie of life is all about us, Jesus flips the script. It’s not about self-promotion, it’s about self-denial. It’s not about self-fulfillment, it’s about self-emptying. It’s not about making much of yourself, it’s about giving yourself to God. That, in fact, is precisely what Jesus did when He encoded Himself with human DNA to live, love, die, and rise in this beautiful yet broken world. He surrendered His rights and “emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7).

What would it look like if we were to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who chose self-denial over self-promotion or even self-preservation?

The Apostle Paul foresaw the coming days when “people will be lovers of self” (2 Timothy 3:2). Self-love is corrosive; it turns us in upon ourselves — something love was never intended to do. We need to let Jesus teach us that there is a beauty to self-denial. As we empty our hearts of self-love, we make room for receiving God’s love and, in turn, can extend that love to others.

The Servant King

Jesus is the King, but He’s a king who humbly washes the smelly feet of His followers (John 13:3-5).

When we humans rise to positions of power and influence, it tends to go to our heads. Satisfied with our new power status, we get a bloated sense of self-importance. Like Simba from The Lion King, we “can’t wait to be king” of our own little kingdoms so that, as the cub sings, we are “free to do it all my way.” But not Jesus. Note how counterintuitively this works out in His life. “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper… laid aside His outer garments… poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet” (John 13:3-5).

Whereas we often look around for servants from our position of power, Jesus took on the role of a servant from His position of power. It’s as if the elderly John is shaking his head in amazement as he recalls what took place in that upper room so many years before. He carefully observes that Jesus did the unpopular job of scrubbing calloused and dusty feet while fully aware that He was the King of the universe — “the Father had given all things into His hands” (v. 3).

Jesus the King chose the way of the humble servant. Not only did He do this to demonstrate His immeasurable love for His followers (John 13:1), but He also did this so we would have a tangible example of what true leadership looks like. “You call Me Teacher and Lord,” He told them, “and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:13-14). Rather than exploiting His power to make His life more comfortable, as we are all too prone to do, Jesus used His power to serve others.

Let me guarantee something for you. You will never find a passage in the New Testament where Jesus snaps His fingers and demands that Peter bring Him the hors d’oeuvres. You will look in vain for that passage where He orders John to wash His feet or commands Andrew to pour Him a glass of the wine He’s just made. Scripture says He did not use His divine status and privileges for His own advantage. Instead, He chose the role of a servant, humbly obeying His Father “to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).

We need to remember there is great joy in serving others. Jesus endured the agony of the cross “for the joy that was set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). Moreover, Jesus wanted His joy to be fulfilled in us (John 17:13). Despite all the countless options available to Him, Jesus chose self-denial. We can still see the effect of that choice in the countless hospitals, orphanages, homeless shelters, schools, and clinics all over the world that His followers have built in His name.

So, what about you? What are you clutching tightly to that might serve a greater purpose if you gave it away? Who is the hurting person in your life? What if God has blessed you so that you can put a smile on their face? Where is a place you could go to embody the self-giving love of Jesus for others? You know that task that nobody in the house or at work wants to do — what if you chose to do it? Christ chose self-denial so that we could see the beauty of true love and follow His example. What do you choose?

[1] Agam Bansal; et al, “Selfies: A Boon or Bane?” Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care (July 2018). 7 (4): 828-831. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6131996/

Painting: “Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet” by Ford Maddox Brown

Love Must Be Genuine

On By Jason SmithIn DevotionalLeave a comment

By Jason Smith

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9).

five-friends-smiling-Petar Chernaev

“In my experience, the church has done more harm than good,” the young man told me. The words sounded a bit calloused and unmeasured at the time. In response, I began pointing out all the good the church has done over the last 2,000 years. I asked him if he knew how the first hospital came to be. He said he did not.

I told him about how leprosy (often called Hansen ’s disease today) was a common malady during the first several centuries of the church. Since leprosy is contagious and there was no known cure at the time, lepers were banned from society and restricted to camps where they languished in isolation, cut off from basic provisions and medical care. A leprous person was labeled “unclean,” and therefore, unwanted. During the fourth century, a church father named Basil of Caesarea felt compelled to do something about this. Although he feared contracting leprosy, he saw the way the Jesus of the Gospels treated lepers. He loved and accepted them. In a world that deemed every leper unclean and untouchable, Jesus was willing to do the unthinkable.

“A leper came to Him and knelt before Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You will, You can make me clean.’ And Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I will; be clean.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed” (Matthew 8:2-3).

After pondering this account, a light bulb went on in Basil’s head. “What if we build a place to love and care for lepers? They don’t have money. They don’t even have to pay for it. We’ll raise the money.”[1] This idea led to the founding of the very first hospital.

After sharing this story, I studied the young man’s reaction. I hoped for at least a flicker of a changed opinion regarding the church. Instead, he shrugged and, with a curt smile, said, “That’s cool that that guy did that, but that doesn’t change my experience.” He had a point. Despite all the incredible acts of kindness and love the church has done throughout history, this really had no bearing on this young man’s experience with the church.

The reality is that the church is filled with imperfect people. It was in Basil’s day, and it is today. This interaction reminded me just how painful and destructive hypocrisy in the church can be. Hurtful experiences in one particular church have led not a few to walk away from the church altogether. It’s a tragic thing, but it reminds me just how essential it is for followers of Christ to never rest on our laurels but to live out His love in each generation. Hypocrisy is something we must persistently guard against in our own hearts.

The thorny weed of hypocrisy often grows out of the soil of a heart that has not been regularly tilled by the gospel. The gospel is a message of sheer grace, reminding us that even while we were weak, sinful, and undeserving, God chose to love us and sent Jesus to die in our place — not because there was something good in us, but in spite of the fact that there was not (Romans 5:6-8).

Hypocrisy often has its roots in legalistic tendencies that focus on outward appearance rather than a transformed heart. When looking good in front of others begins to internally outweigh the importance of loving others, the ugly seed of hypocrisy is sure to germinate. And much like leprosy, hypocrisy can spread rapidly when it begins to infect a community. It can begin with subtle inconsistencies, which in time breed a self-satisfied religiosity that ultimately forgets what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Basil of Caesarea reminds us that to be Christ’s church is to be called to a life consistent with Christ’s teaching and example. Jesus calls His followers to genuinely love not merely those who look, talk, and vote like us, but even our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

Jesus clearly identifies with the church (Acts 9:1-5), and we are called His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). Therefore, we should listen closely to Jesus’s opinion of hypocrisy. Although we often think of Jesus as gentle and mild, tenderly holding a little lamb in His arms, this is far from the complete picture. In fact, it is fair to say that almost nothing in the Gospels draws Jesus’s righteous ire like religious hypocrisy and self-satisfied legalism.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:27-28).

That’s not a passage you typically see printed on the side of a mug sold at a Christian bookstore. Nevertheless, they are the words of Jesus. At the same time, Jesus showed astonishing love toward self-righteous hypocrites (Mark 10:21). Therefore, those who claim to follow and represent Him in this generation must commit to love the Other genuinely, ensuring that the words of our lips and the actions of our hands align with the will of our Lord.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me learn to live out what it means to genuinely love others — especially those most unlike me — in the same manner You do (Romans 12:9).

 

Photo Credit: Petar Chernaev

[1] John Ortberg, Who Is This Man? (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 39.