True Justice and True Change

Along with hundreds of thousands of people I watched in horror as a police officer callously knelt on a man’s neck until he died.  It was disgusting.  But now we must try to determine the desired outcome after the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis.  What is it that we seek?
 
First and foremost. I think we can all agree that we need to seek JUSTICE.  We know that God is a Just God.  His word, the Bible, is full of God’s desire for justice. He is crying out for justice for George Floyd.  His death was unnecessary, and it was senseless.  The people responsible must be held accountable and face the full consequences of their actions.  Everything needs to be above board and transparent.
 
After viewIng the video, I also think we can agree that there needs to be major CHANGE.  Everyone wants to see changes made so this doesn’t happen again.  This is a tougher challenge because there is no one thing that could change to assure these horrible incidents don’t occur again.  It was not just racism.  It was not just an overuse of force.  It was not just purposeful police brutality.  It was not just a callousness for human life.  It was a combination of some or all of them (and probably even more).  Yet each ingredient must be faced and acknowledged. 
 
This is especially frustrating because all these things have been addressed before. This is not the first time a killing such as this has occurred. So, we ask why haven’t the necessary changes been made?  That’s a good question because when we answer it. we will have a strong foothold on the next question:  How?  How do we make the changes?  I think that we all agree that changes need to be made to make sure this scenario isn’t played out again.
 
Now let me address one thing that we should not seek:  VENGEANCE.  In seeking to justify revenge a man wrote yesterday that the Bible said, “an eye for an eye”.  Using that from the Bible to permit revenge is a serious misquote and taking scripture out of context.  In fact, Jesus Himself, discounted that notion in Matthew, chapter 5.  Jesus never taught retribution.  Quite the opposite.  Jesus taught peace and said that Christians could (and should) have a peace that is beyond understanding of the human mind: a peace that He gives.  Vengeance leads to violence which leads to vengeance which leads to violence which leads to….well, you get the picture.  Racism is a matter of the heart and as such will never be prevented by either vengeance or law.  I’ve always said that Jesus is the answer to every question and the solution to every problem.  I stand by that in this time of civil unrest.
 
To any who are advocating violence and destruction I have a couple of questions:  to what end and for how long?  At what point will you say that you have burned enough buildings, beat enough white people and police, and destroyed enough property so you can say that you have successfully avenged George Floyd’s death?
 
I will preach that we as Christians must stand up for justice for George Floyd and the others who suffer merely because of the color of their skin. And I will preach that we as Christians must help implement change so that no one is treated differently by people in places of authority.  But I will not preach that we as Christians should use violence to achieve those goals.
 
May God be glorified in the outcome of this horrendous mess.  Take this opportunity to praise the name of Jesus.
 

Bro. Tony