This post is not a defense of Black Lives Matter. Seriously, it isn't, so please don't make it about that. It is a broad statement about the stupid meme that is going around Facebook saying Jesus made the definitive statement about all lives mattering when he died on the cross for everyone.
Yes, he died for everyone. That is a fundamental tenet of Chrisitanity, and, ironically, Mormon theology affirms it even kore than most Protestant theologies. However, he did that by explicitly focusing his mortal ministry on the marginalized and rejected in his society. In other words, he showed that all lives matter specifically by highlighting and working to change the inequities of his culture that made some lives NOT matter - or, at least, not matter nearly as much. He made all lives matter eternally when they didn't matter equally within their politic and socio-economic system - but he also worked tirelessly to convince the religious and political authorities (and the citizenship, by extension) to change the views and practices that disproportionately disadvantaged and harmed specific people. He beleived it so strongly that he died for it.
That is indisputable in the Gospels, and it boggles my mind how some people don't understand it. BLM being a good or bad organization doesn't change Jesus' ministry at all. He showed all lives matter by valuing publicans' lives - and lepers' lives - and sinners' lives - and adulterers' lives - and, importantly, Samaritans' lives.
Truly beleiving all lives matter, as a Chrisitan, means doing everything possible to make all lives as equally valuable and sacred and protected and honored and loved and served in every way as possible.
Yes, he died for everyone. That is a fundamental tenet of Chrisitanity, and, ironically, Mormon theology affirms it even kore than most Protestant theologies. However, he did that by explicitly focusing his mortal ministry on the marginalized and rejected in his society. In other words, he showed that all lives matter specifically by highlighting and working to change the inequities of his culture that made some lives NOT matter - or, at least, not matter nearly as much. He made all lives matter eternally when they didn't matter equally within their politic and socio-economic system - but he also worked tirelessly to convince the religious and political authorities (and the citizenship, by extension) to change the views and practices that disproportionately disadvantaged and harmed specific people. He beleived it so strongly that he died for it.
That is indisputable in the Gospels, and it boggles my mind how some people don't understand it. BLM being a good or bad organization doesn't change Jesus' ministry at all. He showed all lives matter by valuing publicans' lives - and lepers' lives - and sinners' lives - and adulterers' lives - and, importantly, Samaritans' lives.
Truly beleiving all lives matter, as a Chrisitan, means doing everything possible to make all lives as equally valuable and sacred and protected and honored and loved and served in every way as possible.
4 comments:
He made all lives matter eternally when they didn't matter equally within their politic and socio-economic system - but he also worked tirelessly to convince the religious and political authorities (and the citizenship, by extension) to change the views and practices that disproportionately disadvantaged and harmed specific people. He beleived it so strongly that he died for it.
I don't think Jesus ever did anything as a social justice warrior -- he did nothing to change the government or political order. In my mind, the value in Jesus's ministry is that he ministered to individuals, as many as he could, privately and quietly, while trying to save individual souls. To me, that is the example Jesus set for us to follow.
jI, I agree that his personal ministry was his primary ministry - and Inlisted it first due to that belief.
However, he did everything in view of the societal authorities of his time, and he got questioned and condemned for it multiple times. If we look at his actions strictly from a historical perspective (king that is hard to do for believers in his divinity), it is hard to argue that he wasn't chastising and trying to teach the leaders, as well. After all, he rebuked the Pharisees, flaunted specific violations of their rules, had the audacity to ignore social customs and standards, built a following of the marginalized "nobodies", verbally ripped apart Herod, appeared to mock the Roman rulers on at least one occasion (the entry into Jerusalem before his death), cleared the temple with a blistering statement about the religious leaders' being complicit to theft, etc.
Yea, he said to render unto Caeser that which was Caesar's, but he absolutely challenged the Jewish social structure and practices that oppressed the poor and lined the coffers of the rich, for example, and ignored the ethnic divisions to an alarming degree. It is safe to say he wasn't an insider within either the political or religious hierarchy of that time.
My point is that Inthink he would have responded to anyone who said, for example. "All lives matter," something like:
"Prove it. Come follow me."
"knowing that is hard to do for believers in his divinity"
*large fingers, tiny keys*
Someone on another thread pointed out that Jesus served the centurion, as well, and not just the marginalized. This was my response, with the end expanding on what Insaid in my last comment here:
"I said, explicitly, that all lives mattered to him and that he died for all - and nobody I know who is Christian beliefs otherwise. However, the Gospels are clear that he served the rich and powerful **who sought him** (Nicodemus, the centurion, etc.) - but he actively sought out and served the poor and marginalized - and the only strong condemnations we have from him are for those who oppressed and marginalized and we're hypocritical. I imagine, if someone protested and said, "All lives matter," he would respond with something like, "Yes, they do. Now prove you believe that by giving away what you have that makes you comfortable/rich and come follow me as I serve the people you normally would avoid." After all, that is what he said to the rich young man, in essence."
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