UNREST
Matthew 26
Currently, some of our FCA teammates are reading one of Martin Luther King’s last books called Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? Here, Dr. King maps out the racial tensions that were occurring 54 years ago, and espouses that as a society we have a choice about how we view one another and respond to those who might not “look” like us on the outside. In his writing, Dr. King states “We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent coannihilation. This may well be mankind’s last chance to choose between chaos or community.” In addition, we believe that Dr. King would agree that going beyond coexistence is essential. It involves not just nonviolence but compassion and empathy.
Much of our societal unrest hasn’t changed much since Dr. Kings time. Racism continues to be one of our most divisive issues in our nation. But, my Christian brothers and sisters, we cannot allow the messaging of the world to seep in and create a negative mindset. Instead we must look at the opportunities that exist to love people. As Christians, our response to such a polarizing issue should be to live as Christ lived, and bring hope to a world that is broken and torn apart by the sin of racism. Jesus’s death and the promise it gives us for eternal life brings joy, and the peace of God which transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7) that those around us will recognize. Unlike the world around us, if we remain confident in this truth our hearts will not remain in a state of unrest.
The world wants to complicate things, but there is a very simple answer when it comes to loving your neighbor. That answer can only be found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Scripture points us to what it looks like to follow Dr. King’s approach of non-violence fueled by a greater purpose. In Matthew 26, while Jesus and his disciples are in the Garden of Gethsemane, when the Romans arrive to arrest Him, Peter, coming to Jesus’ defense, draws his sword. But, Jesus scolds him, and tells him to put away his sword. Even at that very moment when Jesus knew he was soon going to be unjustly tortured for no good reason, Jesus did not want violence, and was willing to lay down His own life out of empathy and love for a hurting world.
As we look to Jesus’s example, our prayer is that he would use each of us and that we would biblically make the choice of nonviolent coexistence that Dr. King spoke about. In doing so we can recognize and support those who are hurting in a way that ultimately points them back to the One who provides hope.
