A few days ago, I read on the BBC that a white South African man was lynched for killing a black man. The scene in the news video was madness; a large mob of black South Africans celebrating, and an equally angry mob of white South Africans crying for revenge. Before the death of the white man, the roles had been reversed: the whites were celebrating and the blacks were crying for revenge. Apparently, the black man who was killed was a prominent leader in South African equality rights. I don’t know the details, but it was clear that the white man who killed him had racial motivations. The black man who was killed was not your Nelson Mandela nonviolence-type of leader. He was more like Malcom X; “any means necessary.” Evidently, his past had been marred by racial violence towards white South Africans.
This story got me to thinking: Where does oppression end and reconciliation begin? From my consideration, it seems that moving from oppression to equality takes a HUGE amount of trust and forgiveness. That may seem obvious, but I believe that it starts with the oppressed.
At first glance, it may seem that oppression ends with the oppressor. The tyrannical power that is holding their boot to the neck of another people group must simply let up and change their ways! However, this is not so. Before the boot of tyranny will be lifted, the oppressor needs to be convinced that the oppressed is ready to forgive and will not seek revenge. This is a difficult task by any evaluation. The hurdles you face are few, but gigantic. First, it is not a simple task to get oppressed people to agree to forgiveness. Who wants to forgive when they have had a boot on their neck for so many years? Second, it is no simple task to get oppressors to believe that they will be forgiven. What boot-pressing superiority is going to believe in forgiveness towards them?
The larger problem on top of all this is what oppressor is going to give up the position of superiority without the threat of some kind of punishment? The truth is, not many. However, IF the oppressors ever do decide to lift the oppression and work for equality, the only way they WILL follow through is if they know there is no threat of revenge from the oppressed. When they feel safe in loosening their grip, then they will be in a good position to do so.
In the South African example, Nelson Mandela was able to convince many black people to forgive and many white people to feel safe in that forgiveness. And it lasted for a while. However, now on the BBC you see an interview with a black South African woman saying, “he (the white man who killed the black man who was then killed by a mob) deserved what he got.” Well, of course he deserved it. And now the white people are yelling that the mob deserves to be killed for their actions. And next the black people will be yelling that the white people deserve…. Anyway, it goes on and on.
The key to redemption is not giving what is deserved. The key to redemption is giving what isn’t deserved. The Christ story is all about this. Mercy on those who deserve it least. Forgiveness for those who shouldn’t be given it. Grace for those who are not gracious themselves. It sounds crazy and radical, because it is. If we want to see violence and oppression end, we must embrace forgiveness and toss aside our retaliation. If you feel wronged by someone and cry out for justice, it will come from you giving to others what they don’t deserve; forgiveness, mercy, and grace. It certainly is not easy, but we must do this if we want to see a world of redemption instead of a world of oppression.
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