HE CAME THERE TO DIE

Matthew 26:30 – When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

I have been reading a lot of Hercule Poirot mysteries lately. In a recent one, The Clocks, a man dies in a house where no one recognizes him. A neighbor comments, “He came there to die.” Reading this, that line is what I thought about – he, Jesus, came to the Mount of Olives to die at the hands of the Roman state.

State terrorism. That’s what crucifixion was in reality, state terrorism. Jesus was killed for sedition as an example to others to obey the laws. That’s what all death penalty and harsh punishments are in my opinion. State terrorism.

However, there is a more prominent and disturbing form of state terrorism happening in the US: extrajudicial police killing of Black people. With impunity. There is no punishment for such acts, because it suits those in power to let it continue. That the murderer of George Floyd was convicted, does very little to change this situation. Indeed, while the verdict was being read, police in Columbus, OH, killed a 16-year-old girl. The following day, police killed a young man in North Carolina.

We are crucifying Christ every day in this country. It has been going on for decades. No. Centuries.

Writing about it isn’t enough, reading about it isn’t enough. They are necessary starting points for me and others as we try to explain to our family and friends, but they are not enough. As Christians, we are called to push back, to protest, to work for an end to the systems that perpetuate this extreme injustice, this perversion of humanity. Sadly, it’s also Christians perpetuating these systems and attitudes. I have such Christians in my extended family. They do not speak to us anymore. I suspect because we disagree on this and the previous guy.

You might ask if understanding isn’t enough, and writing about it isn’t enough, what should we do? What can we do?

Good question, I’m glad you asked! I’ve posted about this before. In 2017, Corinne Shutack, writing for Medium, started a list. It’s currently up to 103 things white people can do for racial justice. I hope you’ll look at the list and pick one or two or many and begin.

The Apostle Paul also had something to say about this subject, “weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). Take time to lament with those who lament. Lamentation has a bad rap in our “feel good” society. But, the first step of empathy or even compassion is to imagine how another feels. Lamentation is an act of love; a way into that imagination and empathy or compassion. A way into recognizing that there is indeed a grave injustice being perpetrated against Black people and people of color every day.

Every day.

Which means that every day that we possibly can, we need to take action. Or 103 actions.

B