Friday, June 8, 2018
People power
Mark 14:1,2
After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.”
Somewhere, every day, there is a need or opportunity to protest. Some people are protesting ‘for’ some things and some other people protesting ‘against’ some other things. And then, sometimes, protesters clash in the streets on two different sides of the same issue.
People are protesting government decisions, people are protesting laws, rights, freedoms and the like. People are protesting on behalf of the trees, animals, fish, coral etc. In fact, name something, anything, and there you have the basis of a protest.
People can also protest as an individual with a sign outside of a building, to small or midsized groups conducting a protest, to large mass movements of people against leaders and governments.
People in power, particularly in democratic places where there is no coercion or force used to maintain power, are always conscious of the power that people hold to change those who govern them. As a result, protest is a powerful weapon to change the course of a government or leadership.
The chief priests, scribes, and the Pharisees of Jesus’ time were always well aware of the tenuous nature of the power they held and were mindful of how the people might rebel if they pushed the envelope too far. As a result, they stayed well within the limits of what they thought the people might accept so that they would not infuriate the Romans.
In our key verse we see them plotting to kill Jesus but being careful to time it right to avoid the masses running amok in the city, Mark 14:1,2. Earlier, in Mark 11:27-33 the leaders challenged Jesus’ authority to do the things He did, He posed a question to them in response and they discussed how to answer Him. Although religious, they were less focused on the truth of their answer than they were focused on the political risk of the answer. “And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, “From men’”—they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.” Mark 11:31.32.
Protests and the resulting changes that they bring about have continuously altered the course of history and we are all affected by the results. For example, we were all affected, in one way or the other, by the way society has changed after the protests and rebellions that helped bring an end to slavery. We were all affected by the social and economic expansion that resulted from the rights of women and children in many parts of the world. And the list goes on.
Interestingly, as soon as one social or cultural battle is over there are new frontiers in our societies to be addressed. It seems clear that the social convulsions for changes in the order of things will continue as long as our planet endures.
Christians, individually and as a church have historically participated in protests. For example, in those places where there was racial segregation the church was just as segregated as the society in which it existed. In Apartheid South Africa the Apartheid era church practised Apartheid and so on.
There have been times where it was the church that led the protest for change. Many churchmen in England campaigned for an end to slavery. There are versions of the story of the end of Apartheid that place the role of the church ahead of the role of the politicians. And in Europe, many version of the stories of the fall of communism also place the role of the church ahead of the role of the politicians. Charles Colson’s book, ‘The Body,’ is a good read on this subject.
Today, Christians have a challenge every time there is a new protest or social upheaval. We often have to make a choice about support or participation. We live in the society and are affected by everything in it and therefore cannot sit out every conflict on the sidelines. However, by virtue of the diversity within the community, we don’t always come down on the same side of many issues. We the people have the power but, we the Christians are not always a natural part of we the people. A good test is the LGBTQ+ issue where globally the church seems to be as divided as the issue is divisive.
To determine what the individual Christian does in these circumstances requires way more space than we have here. However, here is one bit of advice from Ron Kenoly, quoting him loosely, “we have asserted our rights over the one who made us righteous.” The Christian need to determine if God will be glorified by our participation in a particular protest or our position on a particular issue. We must remember that we owe allegiance to God first and not to the power of the people or the power of the government.
Truth be told, our position would often bring us into conflict with both for His name sake. “But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.” Mark 13:9
Think on these things:
- Have you ever participated in protest action as a student or after?
- Which of today’s social issues are you prepared to protest for as a Christian?
- Does your church discuss today’s social issues and provide guidance about participation in protest action?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today that we would be guided by the Holy Spirit as we confront the issues of our time under the banner of our Saviour Jesus.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex
