I was overwhelmed. After watching a video |<– warning: lots of language| that my friend JaQuinn posted in the aftermath of Charlottesville, I sat alone and overwhelmed. For the next hour I prayed and teared up and fought fear until the question fell hard in my spirit, “Where would Jesus have been standing in Charlottesville?” As the question rolled around in my mind, the following words came out of my mouth. So I wrote them down.
DISCLAIMER: I’m a closet-poet. Though theology threads its way through the following words, this isn’t a theological stance about where Jesus is currently standing. Or sitting. Because Scripture is clear. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father making continual intercession for the children of God. Also, this isn’t a political stance in any way (though I will go on record to say that white supremacy is vile and an absolute rejection of Christ). It’s simply a poem that came out of me as I processed the tragedy in Charlottesville. It’s a call to gospel-centered thinking in light of a devastating situation fueled by hatred.
Where would Jesus have been standing?
Would He have stood defending a statue?
Defending a heretical ideology?
Spewing hate.
Shouting threats.
Claiming superiority over anyone who didn’t look like Him.
Denying the value of created man.
No. Absolutely not.
Would He have stood in hate against those claiming superiority?
Condemning.
Spitting.
Cursing.
Threatening.
No. Not in hate.
“Are you for us, or for our adversaries?”
Words of old
from Joshua — a chosen man of God —
to the Commander of God’s army.
“No,” replied the Commander.
The Commander of God’s army answered, No.
Neither.
Because human foes aren’t the ultimate issue.
The heart of man and its redemption remains the gracious pursuit of God.
The heart of man —
Fallen.
Hate-filled.
Anger-saturated.
Self-elevating.
Self-defending.
Self-everything.
Needing to be rescued.
Where would Jesus have been standing?
He wouldn’t have been.
He would have been too busy bleeding on a nearby hill.
Bleeding on a bloody cross.
Bleeding as a sacrifice.
For hate-filled mankind.
Bleeding while interceding, “Father forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.”
Jesus is on His own side.
It’s the side of love.
The side of hope.
The side of praying for those who hate us,
Doing good to those who despise us,
Not reviling those who spew out their ignorance of the plight of man.
Where would Jesus have been standing?
He wouldn’t have.
He would have been too busy dying.
If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
|Luke 6:32-36|
JaQuinn, the friend I mentioned above, and I talk about hard things. We talk about the difficult issues. We drink coffee and grapple with deep topics…while our kids run around us. I can’t wait for you to hear her voice as she will be guest posting on my blog next. She’s truly one of my favorites.
This was absolutely beautiful and spot on….thank you for writing when God prompted you.
Thank you, Mary.
Thank you Lara for your poem. It brought Peace and Clarity to my heart this morning!
Hi, Lara! I saw the same video, had the same visceral reaction (come Lord Jesus!), processed it the same way–writing it out (how am I going to explain this to my kids? how do we break this vicious cycle?), and came to the same conclusion (Jesus is love). Love how you distilled and spoke it out, and I love that lots of us, all across the country, remembered the same sweet Truth.