Isaiah 58:9b-10 “If
you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and
malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy
the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and
your night will become like the noonday.
What was this ‘yoke of oppression’ that Isaiah
spoke about? It was a heavy, unfair, and unjust burden which his people were pitilessly
forced to carry by the civil and military authorities over them. In Isaiah’s
time, this yoke was a brutal and intimidating oppression experienced by the
Jewish people in exile. And even when they returned to their own land, the Jews
were still harassed, intimidated, and ruthlessly killed by their recent captors. So
Isaiah’s people cried out to God for justice; they sought the Lord’s help to
break this unbearable yoke.
Sadly, in our nation today, African
Americans are fearfully living under a similar yoke of oppression which
manifests itself in prejudicial, unjust, and inhumane killings of black people
by law enforcement officers. Despite having been given freedom, equal rights,
and countless assurances by community leaders, African Americans are still constantly
harassed and attacked, bullied and beaten, cornered and killed. It is a yoke of
oppression over their communities; it is a mark of shame across America.
And even when African Americans try
to make our society plainly aware of their painful plight by protesting and
carrying signs with the words ‘Black Lives Matter,’ we still don’t
get it. We ignore their pleas by saying they brought it on themselves. We
excuse law enforcers by telling ourselves that protecting and serving our
communities is not easy. And then we add to the yoke of oppression by thinking,
saying, or writing something like ‘All lives matter,’ which sadly, albeit
unintentionally, reinforces racism, casts aside legitimate complaints, and
diminishes black people everywhere.
As Christians, we are called to show
compassion, seek justice, and practice mercy in our lives. We cannot continue
to ignore these killings, nor can we allow racism to spread through our own
inaction. We need to actively listen to those who are oppressed and receive
their raw, painful feedback. We need to hear their cries of injustice, and especially
call out those who hide behind badges of authority in order to perpetrate
racism. Black Lives Matter, because if they don’t, then we are perhaps deluded
and in denial in exactly the same unjust and inhumane ways that slave owners once
were.
Questions for personal reflection
When I hear or
read of another black person being unjustly shot by a cop, what is my first
reaction? When I see or read the words, “Black Lives Matter,” how do I react?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, these are troubled
times, yet we are reluctant to see them for what they are. We long for peace in
our communities and advocate equal rights, yet we are blind to the racism and
inequality which still shamefully exists. Open our eyes that we may truly see
why Black Lives Matter. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian
Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s
message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of John’s MLK drawings called “He Who Dreams.” If you would like
to view a larger version, please click on this link: Dreamer.
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