Up front, I am not a political or social analyst. I’m more of a philosopher and observer. God has called me to share the Gospel – the Good News of Jesus Christ. He has called me to the message of reconciliation. After watching our culture over the past several years, I can’t help but be moved. We see life devalued, a country at war with itself. Hate, anger, rage, and loud criticism had become normal and expected. We have seen lives end way too soon. It’s all devastating.
In Scripture, we see that the problem of hate and prejudice started at the beginning of civilization. We see Cain killing his brother Abel. We see the decedents of Cain being brutal. All the way to the flood in chapter 6 of Genesis, we see humanity acting poorly and being unjust to one another.
God called Noah to take a different path. He saved humanity from destruction through this one man and his family. The problem is that Noah brought a stowaway with him on that great Ark – sin. Sin, that great enemy, causes our minds and hearts to fracture and leads us to make terrible choices. We see Noah and his children acting poorly right after they get off the Ark.
Civilization continues and multiplies, and this sin problem is passed on to every person – no one makes good choices! People, created in the image of God, begin to rise up against other image bearers and oppress them and create nations and systems that would oppress and enslave other them.
Sin continues to be the source of hate and division. God planned an event that would fix the sin problem. He entered His created world as a baby. He grew and matured in a people group who had themselves been enslaved and oppressed. He taught love, unity, forgiveness, service, sacrifice, and restoration – all things that the sin problem disrupted and destroyed.
He taught that we are all created equal.
He taught that we all choose a path.
He taught that we are all guilty of sin.
He taught that we need a Savior.
In the 90’s, there was a movement called WWJD – “What would Jesus Do?”, as a question to ask ourselves in every situation and with every person. Christian young people were called to ask themselves, WWJD?
I ask the same question today, What Would Jesus Do? When we see the sin problem in ourselves clearly, what are we to do?
Here is what I find when reading Scripture:
Jesus would hang out with the marginalized in society.
– He loved the underdog and the outcast. If you made mistakes, committed sin, were judged, or generally disliked – He loved you!
– He actually would touch people no one else would touch. He touched lepers and prostitutes. He hung out with evil tax collectors and sinners.
So, what would Jesus do? He would look for the most controversial person in society and He would hang out with them.
We see that Jesus loved the unlovable.
– He chased down people that made mistakes.
– He had intimate conversations with other ethnic groups.
—-He actually revealed Himself to a Samaritan Woman first.
—-Samaritans were another ethnic group and women had no voice.
– He chose many of his disciples from men who dropped out of religious school.
We see Jesus call out the hypocrites.
– He actually called out pride, self-righteousness, and hate.
– He could see people’s motives. He could see past their outward behavior into their hearts.
– He could see prejudice and anger.
The last thing we see Jesus do is lay down His life.
Jesus didn’t just come to teach good things. He came to die. He didn’t just die for good people – actually, Scripture says he died for bad people.
He gave his life for you, for me, for our enemies, murderers, drug dealers, haters, and even the self-righteous who think they have done no wrong.
We may not like this line of thought, but Jesus laid his life down for all humanity – the good, the bad, the unlikeable, the unjust – ALL.
So, what should we do?
We will acknowledge sin where we see it.
We should acknowledge sin in ourselves and in the world around us. We need to repent of sins we have committed. We should check our hearts when a feeling of superiority or prejudice arises.
We will love our neighbor.
Jesus was very clear that our neighbors are those that are different than us, that have different backgrounds, and different life experiences, not just people living across the street. Anywhere we interact with humanity, they become our neighbor.
We will call out hypocrisy in ourselves and our friends.
When we find that we have devalued one life over another, or elevated one life over another, we need to repent and try again. We need to acknowledge when we are inconsistent in our lives and change course.
We will lay down our lives for reconciliation.
This might be the hardest one of all. This means that we will not take offense when one is merited. This means we will repair or create relationships that otherwise would be fractured. We will put other people’s interests over ourselves. We will work toward reconciling all people to the Father.
Agreement and unity are some of the most powerful words in the universe. I am praying for the day when every language group, people group, ethnicity, and nation come together to push back sin and worship The Father – now that sounds like heaven on earth.
Scripture tells us that the stowaway, sin, is here to stay until Jesus returns to set up His Kingdom for eternity. In the meantime, we will be about the work of bringing His Kingdom to earth. This means, laying down my life for the work of reconciliation. My prayer is that our generation would be known for unity and reconciliation.
Ray Rhoton
ray on life 