By Brian McCrorie
It is amazing to me to consider what divides my friends and my fellow countrymen in 2020.
Little pieces of cloth, meant to prevent some of the spread of an extremely infectious disease. Two septuagenarians from different political parties, each claiming that the other will be a disastrous leader for our nation in the years ahead.
And this little three-word slogan: black.lives.matter.
I am going to take a big risk here and “out” myself: black lives matter to me.
Like most of you, I have seen the videos played over and over on the various-size screens in my life. A knee on a neck. A police car ambushed in LA.
I have watched the peaceful walks. I have observed the violence, burning, and looting. I have heard the chants. I have heard the counter-chants.
I know that to be honest with our history means America has not always — or, some would argue, ever — treated blacks fairly. After all, some of their forefathers were owned by some of our forefathers. They couldn’t even vote until 1870, nearly a hundred years after our founding. And before that, black people were each counted as three-fifths of a person in determining a state’s representation in Congress. Despicable.
But black lives do not matter to me because of a shooting, or because of slavery and mistreatment, or because a Marxist-principled organization with the same name tells me they do. Black lives matter to me for a much deeper reason: They are made in the image of God.
Racism is not new. It is sourced in our sinful pride, in selfishly comparing ourselves to others. It has existed for millennia.
Consider the ways different people groups interacted in the first century, at the time of Christ. The Bible reports that Jews often referred to Gentiles as “dogs” and Samaritans as “half-breeds.” The feeling was mutual.
But this is not how Jesus lived. He spent time ministering to Samaritans in Samaria — Jews didn’t even like to set foot in the region. And ever hear the parable of “The Good Samaritan”? Yup, that’s Jesus too.
This is also not how the Apostle Paul lived. He took the gospel to the Gentile world and received quite a bit of heat for doing so.
What made them and Christians who followed and continue to follow their example different? Love.
Jesus’ love came from the knowledge that all people are created in God’s image; therefore, all people are worthy of respect and dignity.
Jesus knew that his death on the cross, bearing the sins of many, would impact more people groups than just the Jews. In fact, after his resurrection, he commissioned his disciples to go to the ends of the earth and preach the good news to all peoples.
The book of Revelation gives us a glimpse into the future and what Christ’s kingdom will look like: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes” (Revelation 7:9).
So of course, black lives matter. They matter to God: He created every one of them in his image. And He includes them in his kingdom.
Many of them are my brothers and sisters in my Christian family. They are following Jesus like I am, right alongside me. I love them. I would give my life for them.
I hope they matter to you too. And most importantly, I hope Jesus matters to you.
Brian McCrorie is senior pastor of Heather Hills Baptist Church. This weekly column is written by local clergy members. Send comments to [email protected].
