Are there some things that challenge your sense of justice and fair play? Most of us get angry when we see someone cheated out of an opportunity or robbed of their liberty. When we watch the news and see men released from prison after serving decades on bogus charges, our sense of justice is disturbed. When people are prosecuted without reason and unreasonably persecuted we get angry.
Everyone has a breaking point. Even Jesus himself, usually soft spoken and philosophical in his demeanor, became angry when he saw the money changers in the temple. He turned over tables and shouted, "It is written that my father's house is the house of prayer, but ye have turned it into a den of thieves."- He was visibly angry.
There was never another occasion when he showed so much rage, but on that day the presence of so much sin, made him angry. Sin pushed his buttons.
Sometimes we are same way. We try to hold our peace on some subjects, but every now and then one subject or another really touches that last nerve. Consider the country boy who came to the city one Friday night in midst of the segregated South. He had been warned by the folks back home to keep his temper and not to be too upset by anything people did to him along the way. With a brand new pair of blue suede shoes on his feet he went into town and bumped into some ruffians who decided that this lone Negro was an easy target for some heckling and fun. They called him names. The young man stood silent. One slapped him on his head. He stood silent. He endured a list of personal harassments but he remembered his warning not to react to anything done to him. Finally, the ruffians saw his brand new blue suede shoes and decided to scoop mud and spread it all over the shoes. That was it. They young man responded as he started swinging left and right, "You can mess with me and give me the blues, don't mess with my blue suede shoes!"
Injustice has a way of challenging our sense of order. It stirs our anger and we must struggle hard to remain in control.
This is the feeling that many have in the aftermath of the February 2012 slaying Trayvon Martin in Sanford Florida. Seventeen year old Martin was killed by George Zimmerman. Martin was black. Zimmerman is Hispanic who passes for White. Zimmerman was a volunteer neighborhood watchman in a gated community, armed with a semiautomatic handgun. Martin was armed with a can of ice tea and a package of Skittles. Zimmerman claims self-defense. What has enflamed this situation are of the facts that: Zimmerman is a hundred pounds bigger and ten years older. He had the gun, not Martin. He followed Martin in his truck and he called 911 and was told to stand down and wait for police, but he ignored the instruction and later gunned down the youth in what he claimed was "self defense." No arrests were immediately made because of Florida's "Stand your ground law" which seems to give the right to shoot to persons who feel threatened. Many in the nation appear to be frustrated that little effort was taken to discern if his self-defense claim is valid.
The incident is so frustrating that even the President of the United States noted that if he had a son, Trayvon Martin would look just like him. The implication was clear; if he had a son who had worn a hoodie and walked through that gated neighborhood, he might have been killed, too.
The national sense of fair play and justice has been assaulted and the cries of protest and outrage are coming from all sectors of the nation.
How should the Christian community respond? What does the word of God say about our response to injustice? Ephesians 4:6 says, ""Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down on your wrath." Yet, there is another passage from Hebrews 13:3 " ... Share the sorrow of those being mistreated, for you know what they are going through."
God's word indicates that God is concerned about any injustice inflicted upon believers. It also says that we should be empathetic, toward the victims of any injustice while seeking justice for anyone suspected of infringements.
As Christians, we know that God demands justice because we read in Amos 5:24 the prophet Amos declare, ".. let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream." From every corner of the nation that clarion call is being sounded. The voice of God's people echoing His word will be heard.
Exposition
This text focuses on scripture that instructs believers how they must respond to injustices.
The word anger in verse 26 is from the Greek word "Orgizo" which implies godly indignation against evil. Orgizo is slow in its rise but lasting in its nature. While "orgizo" suggests an emotional response it is always free of indignation, resentment and hate. This characterization is just the opposite of verse 31 which says, "let all..anger..be put away from you." One seems to say anger is acceptable while the other says it is not. The anger of verse 31 does not refer to godly indignation but emotional responses that stem from a desire for revenge. It is characterized by the limiting adjectives that surround it: Bitterness, wrath, clamor and evil speaking.
Believers should be angry about injustice, but that anger should not result in a clamor for evil and revenge. It should lead to a call for justice.
Hebrews 13:3 reminds us that we should feel the pain of those who have suffered injustice and empathize with them because we have been there ourselves.
Through the believer's response we show the world that God cares.
What God expects
The mind and heart of God compels Christians who confront injustice to keep three important truths in mind. God expects us to respond to injustice with a Godly anger that defies evil while refusing to hate. This mindset is reflected in the first three verses of Hebrews 13.
LET BROTHERLY LOVE CONTINUE: Hebrews 13:1 encourages believers to promote brotherly love. To continue implies that brother love exists. There are many factors that promote brotherly love. When we understand each other, listen to each and appreciate each other's differences we create atmospheres where brotherly love can exist. Conversely, there are many factors that threaten brotherly love. In America, racial hatred had been one of the most divisive traits of our national history. It has caused us to imprison, enslave, kill and destroy each other mercilessly. Even as bigotry and hatred raised their bitter heads there were voices in the faceless masses that cried out, "Let brotherly love continue." In every struggle we saw that the real culprit that divides us is not color, but the presence of evil showing itself in the form of greed, envy, jealousy and hatred. Even in the aftermath of death, tragedy and injustice there have always been millions who refused to resort to hate, but worked even harder to heal wounds, seek justice for all, and to reach out to the hurting all over the world. This is the work of love that must continue, even in the face of injustice. It is not a call to ignore injustice, but it is rather an invitation to increase our efforts to "let brotherly love continue." It is tempting to let incidents like the tragic slaying of Trayvon Martin disrupt efforts to build bridges between the races and bury hatred. That should not happen. It should prompt us to speed up our efforts to change unjust laws and become more sensitive to the rights of others. While the nation is disturbed over the injustices we see around us, we are compelled to, "let brotherly love" continue.
BE CAREFUL HOW WE RESPOND TO STRANGERS: Hebrews 13:2 reminds us to "be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Our society often paints caricatures of people who are different. We use racially descriptive terms to describe people of other races and cultures. Often these descriptions are offensive and negative. Even worse, we tend to stereotype and lump everyone into categories. Thus, we believe everyone who lives in a housing project is a drug dealer and low achiever. Everyone who is of Hispanic origin is an illegal immigrant and only Native Americans act crazy when they get drunk. These stereotypes force us to assume that every black person who walks in a store in a mall is coming to steal and every black or Hispanic person walking the street wearing a hoodie is up to something bad and must be watched. Yet, we are compelled by scripture to be careful how we respond to strangers or those who are different from us. We can't assume that every white man is a Klansman, that every Democrat is good and that all Republicans are evil. We can't assume anything about anyone, but must judge each person by their own actions. Thus, we must be careful how we entertain people who are different from ourselves; we must not allow our hidden prejudices to guide our actions. This is a lesson that Jesus taught by example. He made no judgments about the woman at the well and didn't buy into custom that He should avoid contact with Samaritans, publicans and sinners because all of them are suspicious and tainted people. While Jesus followed that principal the world did not respond to Him the same way. He was a stranger among many, but they didn't know they were entertaining the Son of God. The tragedy of the Trayvon Martin slaying was a clear example of what happens when our hidden prejudices and stereotypes cause us to respond out of fear rather than respect. He was an innocent youth, who appeared strange and out of place, and for that He died. It is an injustice that screams to the throne of God and surely heaven will respond.
SHARE THE SORROW OF VICTIMS: Hebrews 13:3 entreats believers to have a sympathetic heart to the victims of injustice. An injustice is an action that has defied all of the rules of fair play. An injustice leaves its victims wounded, troubled, and unsettled. Too often injustice leads to death. We have seen too much of death in this respect: Emmitt Till, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. are just a few who have been the victims of hatred and injustice. Too many times we have seen sorrowing mothers, crying sisters and brothers holding their hearts in their hands. The word of God says we who have walked in their footsteps and felt the sting of tragedy ourselves should be sympathetic to those who are the newest victims of injustice. That sympathy should go beyond mere sympathy must be galvanized into the energy necessary to make something good come out of an injustice. Laws that perpetuate or promote injustice should be repealed. Conditions that allow racism to flourish must be improved and there must be a resolve to work with all of our might to insure that never again will the innocents of our nation be lost to something as senseless as a boy wearing a hoodie looking for Ice Tea and Skittles. We who have felt the pain should help bear the pain of the victims of injustice everywhere. We should lift them up in prayer and call upon the God we serve to wipe their tears away. Make no mistake, God will wipe all of their tears away. God will take care of the victims in ways that only he can do. Let us continue to response to all victims of tragedy and injustice anywhere in a similar manner. Let's commend them to our God.
Respond with Love
Finally, brothers and sisters, we are compelled to respond to any injustice by putting it all in God's hands while we work to repair injuries to hearts and souls.
In all of our responses we must never lose the capacity to love. Martin Luther King reminded us that while we, as a people, are angry with the racism of the American system; we should not lose our capacity to love every American.
Our God has shown us the way, if we would just follow his example.
He was angry when Israel sinned and began to follow Baal but he continued to love her anyway. He told the Prophet Hosea to dramatize that love by marrying a wife of whoredom who cheated and was unfaithful. But Hosea's call to his wandering bride was "I don't like what you are doing to yourself, but I still love you!"
Today that call is still going out from the throne of God, "I am angry with sin, but I love the sinner!" I don't like what the world is doing but I still love the world.
In fact, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
Jesus the son of God loved us so much that one day he carried a cross to Calvary!
He loved us so much that he cried out "father forgive them for they know not what they do"
He loved us so much that he died on Calvary, but rose early on Sunday morning!
He loved us so much that today he still says all is forgiven, come on home!
