Children of Our Fathers

Most memes, by their very nature, are overly simplistic. They try to make a point without a thorough breakdown of that point. Sometimes they succeed; oftentimes, they cannot stand under the weight of the issue they are trying to address.

Such is the case regarding memes in response to the current violence, looting, and destruction seen in cities across America, which is itself a response to the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, as well as other racist incidents. The most prevalent memes regarding this make a contrast between the way Martin Luther King, Jr. and his allies protested and the way those today are protesting. Here are two examples:

• 

• 

The memes seem to suggest that if you protest peacefully, people will hear what you have to say. If you go about it the right way, people will support you. If you don’t loot stores, burn buildings, or attack people, things will turn out well for you. You may be someone who “changed the world.” The memes fall flat because they are rooted in the idea that this generation is not like previous generations that squashed peaceful protests.

Before I start explaining why I believe this is the case, let me state upfront that I’m against violent riots of all kinds—the kinds that started this country, the kinds after sporting events, and the kinds after the murder of black Americans. Satan comes to kill (i.e. attack), steal (i.e. loot), and destroy (i.e. burn buildings), and no one should be doing his bidding. People should not riot because it displeases God, not because Dr. King was successful in protesting peacefully, and certainly not because this generation would respond properly to peaceful protests.

Woe to You!

Most humans have a defect in how they view themselves; they think they are better than they are. We think we have progressed far more as a society than we have. We believe we are more civilized and sophisticated than previous generations, when—in fact—we may be worse.

This was the case regarding the religious leaders during Jesus’s life on earth. They believed they were better than their ancestors, but Jesus exposed their delusion when He issued seven woes against them. In the seventh woe, Jesus said, ²⁹ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers” (Matthew 23:29-32). The religious leaders were honoring the “prophets” and the “righteous” that their forefathers had killed, and they believed they wouldn’t have done the same. According to Jesus, they not only acknowledged their murderous heritage, but they also would continue it by murdering Him—the Messiah to whom the prophets were pointing—as well as future prophets. They would have never imagined that they would be capable of murdering their promised Messiah. They would “fill up the measure of [their] fathers” by doing exactly as their fathers did—and worse.

Hypocrites!

On the surface, the religious leaders seemed totally different from their forefathers. They looked like saints compared to their ancestors. Their predecessors worshiped Baal and set up Asherah poles; they worshiped the God of Israel. Their fathers followed the ways of the nations around them; they strictly followed the Law, even while being occupied by Rome. Their forefathers sacrificed their kids in the fire to idols; the Pharisees offered regularly sacrifices to God. Their ancestors completely neglected the Law of God; the religious leaders memorized entire books of the Law. Why would Jesus accuse them of being like and worse than their fathers? They seemed to be light-years better than them.

The key word here is “hypocrites” (v. 29). Their forefathers were serial idolaters, murderers, sexually immoral, etc., but they weren’t putting on a show. They weren’t acting like they were being faithful to God. They proudly displayed their adultery against God. They freely oppressed and neglected the less privileged in society. They openly beat and killed the prophets. They were in no way trying to hide their rebellion against God.

While the scribes and Pharisees looked different on the outside, Jesus saw through them. In the sixth woe, Jesus likened them to “whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. ²⁸ In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness”(Matt. 23:27-28). They were idolaters, murderers, adulterers, and oppressors just like their father; they had just learned to put on a different face in front of others. If their idols of tradition, pride, and power were defaced, they would kill just like their fathers.

Children of Our Fathers

When we read these stories, we rarely read them as if we’re like the Pharisees. Our hearts are too deceitful for that. But take a moment to consider that this may be true of us as well. We may think we’re radically different than previous generations, when—truth is—we’re not.

The racist murderers of the previous generations were not putting on a show. They were not trying to hide their hatred. They’d call someone the “N word” to their face on a regular basis. They’d lynch a black man and take a picture with the body with nothing covering their faces. They’d yell at, spit on, and assault school kids integrating schools without fear of recognition or reprisal. They didn’t wait until night to terrorize. They’d do it in broad daylight. They didn’t pretend like they were trying to listen to the plight of black people. They were only trying to crush them, even when they protested peacefully. Yet, we knew exactly who they were, even when they wore hoods. They were not hypocrites.

This generation is like the religious leaders in that they’ve covered up their racism. While the fathers may have just killed the black man without explanation, the children will say “I feared for my life” or “he was resisting.” The other children will support their siblings by saying, “Well, he wasn’t a choir boy,” to find a way to justify the killing. While the fathers would call a black man a “boy” or the “N word” to his face, the children will post it on social media or use it when they’re around their closest friends. It’ll seem like they are not racist until the screenshot or video leaks. The fathers would physically fight against school integration; the children will put their kids in private schools instead. The fathers would burn crosses on lawns to intimidate black families that dared to move into their neighborhoods; the children would flee to the suburbs. The children will find a way to justify that their actions are not racist. Yet, when their racism is exposed in a video, in a screenshot, or in an audio clip, the apology tells us they were only deceiving themselves. Cries of “this is not me” or “I don’t know what got into me” or “I’m not a racist person” only reveal the level of their deception. Is not the family resemblance evident? The spiritual DNA test came back, and they are your fathers!

Are you not at least the children of the white Birmingham pastors, who lectured Dr. King on the right way to go about change? Are you not the descendants of the recipients of “The Letter from a Birmingham Jail”? Do you not give lip service to the need for change, while suggesting that the nature of even peaceful protests is “unwise and untimely,” like your fathers did with Dr. King? Are you not blaming the effects of the protests on “outside agitators,”—as your Birmingham fathers referred to Dr. King—instead of acknowledging the racist acts and attitudes as the first domino? Read their statement to Dr. King and truly ask, “Would I not have proudly signed it also?”

Recent history testifies that this is the case. Colin Kaepernick and other football players peacefully protested by kneeling for the national anthem, yet they were cursed by the President of the United States. Many children of their fathers cheered or remained silent during this character assassination. You did not listen to what he was protesting, even though it was peaceful, because he was defacing your idols of flag and country. When four minority congresswomen dared to criticize the President, they were challenged to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,” which is a common, racist way of saying, “Be grateful and be quiet.” Three of them were natural-born citizens of the U.S. Once again, many children of their fathers cheered, remained silent, denied the racist tone, or—used their favorite scapegoat—the mainstream media. You did not listen to what they had to say. You curse and complain about traffic when protesters peacefully march down the streets on which you travel. It does not matter the nature of the protest, because they are not bowing down to your idols of nation, comfort, and prosperity. You will find a way to kill the messenger for messing with your idols without acknowledging the message.

And that is what happened to Dr. King. He and his contemporaries protested peacefully, and they were attacked both physically and verbally. They did not loot anything, yet vicious dogs were unleashed on them. They did not burn anything, yet fire hoses were released on them at full pressure. They did not attack anyone, yet night sticks pounded into their flesh. They were beaten beyond recognition. He and many others who aligned with him were assassinated whether they protested peacefully or simply tried to register black people to vote. If he had “changed the world,” would we constantly be where we are as a nation right now? Is he not just a “prophet” whose “tomb” you have built up and “monuments” you have decorated in order to say, “if we had lived in the days of MLK, we would not have taken part with them in the shedding of his blood?”

“Woe to you, Americans of all colors and creeds, you hypocrites! For you celebrate MLK Day and Black History Month, you visit Civil Rights’ museums and monuments, and you quote “I Have a Dream” and other speeches while saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would have listened to their cries for justice, we would have supported their peaceful protests, and we would not have shed their blood.’ Thus you witness against yourself that you are children of those who murdered people peacefully seeking justice. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.”

Children of the Father

Jesus continued in those verses and said, “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell” (v. 33)? I am not saying that everyone who shared those memes is going to hell. I am saying that we all should seriously examine ourselves to make sure we won’t be eternally condemned—along with those who attack, loot, and burn. I am saying that the remedy for the Pharisees and scribes is the same remedy for us as their children. We need to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). We must confess our hypocrisy and our idolatry. We must confess the murder we commit with our lips and the silence of our lips regarding injustices. We must confess our refusal to listen and act. We must turn from our sins and turn in faith to Jesus. Then, and only then, can we bear fruit by listening to cries of injustice, acting on behalf of those who experience it, and—most importantly—shining the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.

We do not have to deceive ourselves into thinking that we are better or more civilized than previous generations. Every person since the Fall is a child of their father Adam. We have his spiritual DNA that causes us to rebel against God. We do not have to try on our father’s makeshift clothing of fleeing and finger-pointing to hide our guilt and shame. Jesus will cover us with His righteous robes if we repent and turn to Him.

Jesus came to cover the guilt and shame of our racism, our looting, our arson, and our murder. He came as the only Son of the Father, that we may be sons and daughters of the Father through repentance and faith in Him. He came as the Prince of Peace, that we may have peace with God and with one another. Though He was completely innocent, He suffered the injustice of being beaten and crucified for our sins. Yet He rose from the grave on the third day, that we may be free from the power of all sin, including racism and revenge, and live as children of the light. We live with the hope that one day, when Jesus returns, He will make all things new. There will be no more racism, no more murder, no more violence, no more tears, no more pain, and we will be with our Father forever. This is the hope the world needs.

Brothers and sisters, people do not need reminders on how to protest lawfully and peacefully. People do not even need an example in Dr. King. They need Jesus. We need Jesus.

A Lament for America

(Our church started a series in Lamentations recently, as we felt lament was something missing in the church, especially during this season of a global pandemic and racial tension. I challenged our members to write their own laments in our Sunday school books. I was planning to write one eventually, yet the pain from recent, racist events moved up the process. I needed this to process the pain.)

America has once again been exposed;

“All Lives Matter” as a cover is removed.

Brown bodies in the streets testify against her;

Body bags and closed caskets are damning witnesses.

COVID-19 is one of our pandemics;

Count the second as racism, which is highly contagious.

Death counts keep rising from both of the plagues;

Discomfort makes deniers out of professors of Christ.

Excuses fill their mouths before the blood stops flowing;

Evildoers mock as morgues are filled.

“First, he should have listened to the commands he was given.

Finally, he got what he deserved for resisting.”

Graves are being filled with the bodies of the unarmed,

Gruesome images fill social media and the news.

How long, O Lord, will my skin be a threat?

Hear the cries, O Lord, of people made in your image.

Image bearers are treated as beasts in the field

Incessantly hunted because of their skin.

“Justice” is a word foreign to our hearts;

“Jesus” is a name familiar only to our lips.

Kindness is a mask for those filled with hate;

Klansmen wore their hoods, but at least we knew!

Look, O Lord, and see their rebellion;

Listen as they justify murder as mistakes!

Mobile phones tell a different story to the masses.

Microphones capture bloodcurdling screams.

No one was around to film it back in the day.

Night won’t give to day unless exposed to the light.

Our wickedness, even then, puts the lamp under a bowl.

Our desire is for the darkness rather than the light.

Party platforms guide us religiously, instead of your word.

Politics is our discipleship, not what Jesus taught to us obey.

Quickly, O Lord, come and judge those who hate us;

Quiet the rumblings of bitterness in my soul.

Revival is our desire, but never with repentance.

Restoration assumes we were once a godly nation.

Salvation is far from us, because we deny our diseases.

Saviors are not needed for those who are healthy.

Truly we are a people who deserve your wrath.

Too many of us have hardened our hearts to your grace.

“United” is in her name, but it will never be a reality;

Unless she confesses her sins, and makes amends to the victims.

Violence is committed with our guns and with our tongues.

Voices of siblings remain silent, amplifying the pain.

Who will speak up for us? Are we falling on deaf ears?

Why do we keep crying out if no one cares to hear?

X-ray our hearts, O Lord that we may see our brokenness.

Xenophobes need a cast for their fractured worldview.

You alone, O Lord, can fix this nation.

You alone, O Lord, can bring us justice.

Zealous are you for your glory, O Lord.

Zealous are you for your name.

Wisdom Is Proved Right by Her Deeds

It is well-documented that the religious leaders did not like Jesus’ tactics or His message. He didn’t hold to the man-made rules of the Sabbath. He turned their understanding of the Law on its head. He didn’t just chill with the religious crowd, but He ate with “sinners and tax collectors.” For this Jesus was accused of being “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:19).

John the Baptist, however, didn’t act like Jesus. He had the same message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2, 4:17), but different tactics. John’s base of operation was the wilderness. He wasn’t doing much eating and drinking with religious leaders or sinners and tax collectors, as his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. Because of this, the religious leaders said of John, “He has a demon” (Matthew 11:18).

Jesus and John had the same message but different tactics. Because the religious leaders didn’t want to hear their message, they found a way to attack their methods. Jesus’ response was, “But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.” Their actions would be justified by the fruit they would bear for God’s glory.

PHARISEES OF TODAY

When Colin Kaepernick first began his peaceful protest of the national anthem due to racial injustices, I somewhat agreed with his message but not his methods. I wondered if there were better, less provocative ways for him to address the problems that he felt plagued the nation. I knew people wouldn’t be able to hear the message because of a perceived disrespect for the military and this nation, even if he said that wasn’t the case.

As I’ve witnessed the responses of our President and fellow Christians to the NFL protests, along with their response to the Confederate flag and statues, I’m starting to see the wisdom behind his methods. When predominantly black NFL players are cursed out by the President for their peaceful protests of injustices, while white supremacists are given the benefit of the doubt when they violently protest the removal of Confederate statues, there may be a reason to kneel during the anthem. Maybe—just maybe—there is some merit to the method.

I expect this from the President. While I’m saddened by his behavior, I’m not shocked by it. Because as much as some people try to convince me that he is a Christian, there is little to no fruit that actually shows he is a follower of Christ. So, I’ll continue to pray for his salvation, as I’m commanded to do (see 1 Timothy 2:1-4).

I do, however, expect more from my supposed brothers and sisters in Christ. Some Christians who support the Confederate flag and statues are also offended by the NFL protests. So, you tell me that you’re upset at NFL players who kneel because they are disrespecting those who served and died for this country? Tell me—how many were killed in the Civil War? Are we not disrespecting them when we fly the Confederate flag and honor those who wanted no parts of the national anthem or the American flag? Even if I fall for the “states’ rights” argument for the Civil War (which I’m not!), is it justifiable to support those who fought a war for their 10^th Amendment rights, while disdaining those who protest under their 1^st Amendment rights for their God-given right to equal treatment?

You can kick and scream that your disdain for anthem protests is not about race all you want, but your hypocritical response actually justifies the protests. You can say that they should try a different method, but history has shown that we don’t respond to nice appeals for change. We like to hold up people like MLK as examples, but do we forget that they he was beaten, jailed, slandered, harassed, and eventually assassinated for his message? If we truly examine ourselves, we’ll realize that we have much in common with the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. It is not the method we hate; it is the message. We don’t like to be called out on our sin. We don’t want to think that our shiny idols (i.e. flag, nation) have any blemishes. If you still insist that methods are your true concern, are you crying out about the methods (i.e. public name-calling, Twitter rants) the President is using to disagree with the protests? Aren’t they clearly sinful, disrespectful, and provocative? Do you still want to tell me that it’s not about race?

MISSING THE MESSAGE FOR THE METHOD

Let’s say, for a moment, that you are indeed messed up about methods. You should still be able to bypass the method for the message. Let me give you an example. I have a rule in my house that I do not want my kids to scream my name from another room. I find it disrespectful. Most of the time, they are doing nothing important while I’m working, cooking, or cleaning. If they want or need me, they can easily use their two feet to find me.

Let’s say, however, that one of my kid’s feet were broken or they seriously hurt themselves, and she screamed my name from another room. I would be a horrible parent if I chastised her for being disrespectful instead of acknowledging the reason she was screaming out my name. If she has a justifiable reason for screaming, I need to disregard the method for the message.

Likewise, when we see NFL players kneeling during the anthem, we as Christians need to ask why they are doing it before we curse them for not standing. If they are feeling oppressed, we as agents for justice (see Micah 6:8) should hear them out. It doesn’t mean we must agree; it means we care enough to listen. Most protests are a cry to be heard. When their message is heard, their methods may change.

This is what Jesus did for us. We have all repeatedly disrespected God’s holiness, love, justice, righteousness, etc. Instead of remaining in heaven, cursing and punishing our rebellion, Jesus entered our pain and absorbed it on the cross. Because of His love and our faith in Him, our rebellious methods should change to methods of “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). And we should extend our Lord’s love, grace, and mercy to those we think deserve otherwise. Then, to God’s glory, wisdom will be proved right by her deeds.

You Reap What You Sow

Last year, my youngest was in the second grade, and she was studying the War of 1812. Initially, I didn’t pay much attention to the lessons that were sent home. I mean—what harm could some worksheets do to a second-grader? As the worksheets continued to come home, I began to read some of what was being taught. One such worksheet contained the history and lyrics of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” One of the characters on her favorite show sang it, so she was excited to give it a try now that she had the lyrics. There was a part of me that wanted to extinguish her excitement with a lesson on the infamous third stanza, or on the fact that the U.S. wasn’t “the land of the free” for black people at the time. I decided—for better or for worse—that an eight-year-old didn’t need her excitement crushed just yet, so we went on YouTube to repeatedly watch Whitney Houston’s epic Super Bowl performance of the national anthem.

That incident reminded me of how—from a young age—we indoctrinate our kids with American history, giving them the good without the bad. Coloring pages are sent home of Native Americans and Pilgrims enjoying a hearty, Thanksgiving meal, but little mention is made of the systematic conquest of Native Americans and their land. We promote ideals such as bravery and freedom, yet omit any talk of slavery and discrimination. I don’t know—there may even be wisdom in leaving out the gory details until kids are better able to cope and engage with them, but by that time we have already filled them with a pristine image of the United States of America.

While it may be wise to omit certain facts at certain ages, I believe it is unwise for us to continuously glorify facts that are clearly sinful. In the name of patriotism, we unashamedly celebrate, justify, and promote historical events that are unbiblical on so many levels. And when we plant such seeds in generation after generation of Americans, there should be no surprise when we reap a harvest of hatred and conflict.

Take, for example, the Boston Tea Party and other riots in response to taxes imposed by the British government. No matter how many times we chant, “No taxation without representation!” to justify these acts, it is still sinful according to God’s standards. Clearly, we are to pay taxes as Christians (see Matthew 22:15-22, Romans 13:1-7). Jesus doesn’t say we must think the taxes are fair before we pay them. If you know anything about the Roman tax system at the time those Scriptures were written, you know that it was anything but fair. The Boston Tea Party was a clear violation of the command to “be subject to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1) and “to give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s” (Matthew 22:21). And we haven’t even gotten to the evil that came with the destruction of property, and the racism that came with disguising themselves as Native Americans. Yet, these men are held up as patriots and heroes.

It should be no surprise, then, when other generations believe that riots and protests are the solutions to getting the justice they seek. Our history of handling conflict—and our celebration of it—is so ingrained into their DNA that it subconsciously becomes the way in which they deal with injustice. How can we kick and scream when we see destruction of property in Ferguson and Baltimore when we reenact and commemorate that very thing in Boston and Rhode Island? Can we honestly say that the current rallying cry of “no justice, no peace” is not as justifiable as “no taxation without representation?”

I am not saying that the actions of Black Lives Matter or Antifa are any less sinful than those of our forefathers. What I’m saying is that we can’t celebrate one and condemn the other. We are hypocrites if we tell black men to obey the police if they don’t want to get shot, while simultaneously celebrating those who died while assaulting British troops enforcing the law (i.e. The Boston Massacre). We are hypocrites if we label as thugs those who burn buildings in frustration with the justice system, but then label as patriots those who burned ships in frustration with British customs (i.e. The Gaspee Affair). When we celebrate our sinful history, we are planting seeds of discord in the hearts of our children, and we are reaping an abundant harvest of division.

Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin

If you have read this far, you may want to have me arrested and tried for treason. You may think that I do not love this country, and that I should pack up and move to Canada. That would be far from the truth. I love the United States of America. I love the freedoms we have in this country. I love the diverse cultures in this country. There are so many reasons to rejoice as a citizen of the United States.

However, my allegiance is to Heaven first as a follower of Christ and a child of God, which requires me to call evil what God calls evil, and to call good what God calls good. We as a country should do the same if we hold to our supposed Judeo-Christian roots. I believe many in this country are so fixated on the U.S. as Heaven, that we view any criticism of this country as hatred for it. Is it possible for one to love the U.S., but not necessarily the way it was conceived?

I believe so. Before I was saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, I was steeped in sexual sin. I have three children who were born out of wedlock as a result. I view each of them as blessings from God, and I love them just as I love my other children. Yet, because Christ died a horrible death for my sins, I dare not rejoice in the sexual sin that conceived my kids, and that nailed Jesus to the cross. I love my kids, but I repented of the sinfulness that brought them into the world.

Jesus also died for our rebellion as a nation, and He was raised for our salvation. If we claim to be a Christian nation, we cannot continue to rejoice in the sinful rebellion that conceived the United States. We must repent of these acts if we are to experience the presence and power of God in this country. If we continue in our memorializing of sin, we will continue to sow the seeds of destruction. Don’t be surprised when we reap a harvest that is more than what we can contain.

English and the Providence of God

I remember well my first day in Mrs. Graves’ sophomore English class. She walked in and immediately started handing out detentions to anyone who was talking after the bell. I, however, was not intimidated. For some reason, her no-nonsense introduction made me smile. She eventually gazed at me and said, “Why are you smiling?” I didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t get me a detention, so I just kept smiling. Despite her initial impression, she wasn’t as strict as we thought. She was–at times–in her own words, “as soft as a marshmallow.”

Thankfully, that is not my only impression of my time in Mrs. Graves’ class. It was in her class that one of my God-given gifts—writing—was nurtured and crafted. Of course, I did not realize it at the time, but it became obvious years later that God had blessed me with an All-Star team of teachers who He used to pour into me through the years. There is not a day that goes by that I am not reminded of the impact these teachers had on my life, and of God’s providence in placing them there.

I’m ashamed to admit it, but I can barely send a grammatically incorrect text without thinking, “What would Mrs. Graves do if she saw this?” I’m not ashamed to admit, though, that every sermon I type as pastor of Smith Chapel, that every love letter I write to my beautiful wife Yolanda, and everything else in between are the result of God’s grace shown through Mrs. Fuchs, Mrs. Graves, Mrs. Limbaugh, Mrs. Sullivan, Mrs. Lape, and so many more.

I am starting this blog to be faithful with the talent God has given me. I want to hear from my King Jesus Christ, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21) when He returns. Prayerfully, as I kick off this blog, I will honor my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and these teachers. Anytime you are inspired and/or impressed by anything from this blog, give glory to God for His providence, and give credit to these teachers for their faithfulness. Anytime you are disgusted and/or disappointed, feel free to blame me!