There have been a few instances of protesters demanding that police, who are literally protecting them, should take a knee before them like Colin Kaepernick. Of course, following President Trump’s seemingly crass use of a church (if you can even call it that) and the Bible, Democrat leadership pandered equally pathetically to their constituency as they took a knee in the capitol.
We can argue the benefit of this action or a lot of the emoting going on in another article. While I believe the knee-taking is a little melodramatic, I have been shocked at some pastor’s public response to it.
“There is only one person to whom I will bow or take a knee,” summarizes many pompous posts commenting on the situation. At first, this sounds right. It might even sound like the words of a great martyr of old. But then, this week, I heard Jesus say this:
“You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45).
Oh, you stiff necked people! And how hilarious that some pastors seem to think they should die on the hill of the nuances of institutionalized or systematic racism. Most importantly, perhaps we need to reteach our pastors, let alone our people, how they should see their neighbor and, furthermore, their brother and sister in Christ. Greater than equally, we are called to bow down to the other and be each other’s slaves! We are called to seek the good of the other before ourselves. Taking a knee to one another is the rule of the Christian life! Perhaps, if this was taught more thoroughly in our churches, we might produce men and women who will truly serve the greater public fairly and generously regardless of their backgrounds, skin color, or sex.
Not only that, if you have a tough time taking the knee before someone else, imagine Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. He contemplated not just bowing down before humanity but being crucified by His stubborn brothers and cold-hearted Rome – aka all of humanity. Christianity is built around the ridiculous and humiliating act of God taking the knee on a cross for His enemies, sinners, slanderers, racists, devil worshipers, abusers, and misusers. He did it gladly!
God came down to us even, and gently and humbly rescued us from ourselves. He came not to be served but to serve! Clothed in His mercy we are empowered to do the same. Let your ego go. Jesus has a better one for you.
