There has been a response by many white Christians to the
Black Lives Matter movement that has suggested that Jesus wouldn’t have agreed with
the sentiment and that instead by his death on the cross he would have said
that “All lives matter”. But I must disagree. Although theoretically Jesus
shows love for all, he often did so by lifting up and speaking on behalf of the
oppressed, the hurting, the poor, and the downtrodden. I believe Jesus would
have said Black Lives Matter, as a way of telling us that we are not living up
to his standards of love and justice. Here are 10 of his statements that I
believe show that Jesus would have worn a Black Lives Matter t-shirt:
1. 1. ““Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the
kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed
are you who weep now, for you will laugh . . . But woe to you who are rich, for
you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will
be hungry.” – see Luke 6:20-26
2. 2. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he
has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the
oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” – see Luke
4:18-21
3. 3. “And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust
judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him
day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly
grant justice to them.” – see Luke 18:1-8
4. 4. “Indeed, some are last who will be first, and
some are first who will be last.” – see Luke 13:24-30
5. 5. “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor,
the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they
cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
– see Luke 14:7-14
6. 6. “Or those eighteen who were killed when the
tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than
all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you
will all perish just as they did.” – see Luke 13:1-5
7. 7. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters
of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have
practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a
gnat but swallow a camel!” – see Matthew
23:23-39
8. 8. The Parable of the Good Samaritan: “So likewise
a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was
moved with pity.” See Luke 10:25-37
9. 9. “Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it
that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison,
and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you,
just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to
me.’” – see Matthew 25:41-46
1 10. “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated
me before it hated you . . . If they
persecuted me, they will persecute you.” See John 15:18-16:4
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