Imagine a large forest full of tall pines and glorious timber. The forest floor which once yielded the stand above is now parched and dry. The same needles and leaves that were shed to replenish and nourish the soil for the canopy’s sustenance have become the tinder that, at just one spark, might fuel its destruction. What was once teaming with life is now barren and desolate. Burrows and nests have been abandoned and the sights and sounds of life have ceased.
This scene is the spiritual and social climate of our nation. People and places once fruitful and vibrant have dried up and become kindling easily consumed. The smallest spark, which was once extinguished by the damp and vibrant forest floor, might engulf the highest tree. The entire ecosystem of our existence seems to hang in the balance of the next reckless word or senseless act. Hearts and souls are set ablaze, not realizing that the same fire they are working to spread is secretly clouding their judgment. Suddenly, entire communities are smothering with the toxic smoke of a fire that has spread leaving no one untouched and unaffected.
Many times our political, social, and even religious leaders provide the rhetoric that fans the flames which ignite or excites the blaze. Acting as if they live above or apart from the effects of such flames, they benefit from stoking the embers which serve their own selfish purposes. And the fire grows.
This week, in my State’s largest city, Charlotte, I’ve watched this same metaphor unfold upon the shooting and death of an African American man by a police officer. As every major local network and social media outlet has focused on this event and the ensuing protests and violence, I noticed my own emotions and thoughts began to be aroused. The sheer size and scope of the flame began drawing the air out of my soul for its own purposes. Only upon praying for clarity did I begin to see that I, too, could be consumed by its presence.
Jesus said this would happen. In order to inform and prepare His followers, Jesus described the events that would precede His return.
Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. (Luke 21:10)
The word for nation in the original language of the New Testament is “ethnos” from which we derive our English word “ethnic” or “ethnicity”. Jesus wasn’t just speaking about the battle of nation-states defined by their territories and governments and armies. He was speaking about the racial and ethnic battles that are entrenched in humanity’s own DNA. Since the fall into sin we’ve perpetuated the problem which began with Cain and Abel, namely, the declaration of division and superiority couched in the question “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
One could say the problem is in our blood. Having “bad blood” is not merely a figure of speech. It accurately explains the reality that we are born with innate prejudices that alienate and divide us. Unless we realize the source of the problem we will never find the cure! While racial and ethnic tensions are aggravated by social oppression, injustice, and exploitation, these are not their roots. Treating a spiritual problem with a natural remedy may provide some relief but no real healing. To end this disease (dis-ease) we must look at its true nature. We must have a blood transfusion.
In response to mankind’s bent towards self-destruction, God answered Cain’s question with a resounding and personal “YES!” The pattern for racial and ethnic divide that has existed throughout the course of history was interrupted by the God-man through one act that would forever offer a way to escape this vicious cycle. God became the “brother’s keeper” that Cain never was. Rather than shedding another man’s blood for the sake of self-preservation, self-exaltation, or justice, He shed His own blood as a sacrifice for all of mankind’s sin. His blood, which had never been tainted or corrupted, became the basis for our reconciliation to God and one another. As the Scripture declares, Jesus Christ’s blood “speaks better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24).
Abel’s spoke out for justice, Jesus’ for mercy. The former cried out for vengeance, the latter proclaimed forgiveness. The first said a debt was owed that could never be repaid, and the last says “paid in full”. One declared the perpetrator to be a murderer; the other declares that we, the murderers, are His family and friends.
Only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse and heal the stains of hatred, the smells of offense, the scars of injustice, and the swelling of bitterness and pride.
Only by identifying with His death can we die to ourselves, our prejudices, and our rights. Only by having His life in us can we produce this type of life; one that truly loves and lives, not for oneself or one’s own, but for others. Only the blood of Jesus can make us blind to the color of one another’s skin so that we might see the beauty of one another’s hearts. Only by His blood can we ever come to a place where we can say there is neither “Jew nor Greek” or Caucasian or African American, or Native American or Latin American or Asian American, but we are all one in Christ.
So I close with another image. Imagine that same parched forest as clouds gather overhead. A strong but slow and steady rain begins to fall. It falls until the hard soil loosens and gives way to the roots below. Rain after rain, the forest bed becomes moist and the leaves and needles which once threatened its demise are home to all sorts of plants and animals that will ensure its survival once again. The trees above flourish with color as the birds of the air return to make their nests and raise their young.
Get the picture? God longs to restore us like this illustration. By the water of His Word and His Spirit we can come alive with the harmony and diversity in which we were created. We can have true peace with one another and with God…
By His Blood.
Such as I have I give,
In Jesus’ Name
