The slogan WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) was popular some years ago.
It was a way of attempting to summarise a complicated ethical challenge to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. For all its brevity, and inevitable inaccuracy (there are some ways that the answer to what Jesus would do cannot be applied to mere mortals like you and me – walking on water, for one thing) it is an interesting question to ask about the current crisis taking place in Ferguson.
Ferguson is a suburb of St Louis in Missouri located in the middle of the United States. On 9 August a white policeman, Darren Wilson, shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager. Some say Darren Wilson was in fact trying to surrender when he was shot. Others, including the policeman, say that Brown was attacking Wilson.
As a result of the decision of a grand jury not to pursue prosecution there has been widespread protest, some violent. All of this, of course, comes against a long backdrop of racism and, even further back, slavery. Whatever the truth of what took place on 9 August, this event has stoked fears and conflict.
Broken the wall of hostility
What Would Jesus Do? That question has made me look again at Ephesians 2 verse 14 in this context. ‘For he himself’, that is Jesus, ‘is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.’ Paul is talking about the barrier between Jew and Gentile. His argument is that the cross, ‘the blood of Christ’ (verse 13), has broken the long-standing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile.
Obviously, this ‘barrier’ had a ‘salvation historical’ aspect – that is, the barrier that was broken down was related to God’s work in Christ in fulfillment of his Old Testament promises that the gospel would now go to all nations (or ‘to the Gentiles’). We have to be careful about too rigidly applying what was written for a specific context into a new context of racial division which does not have a specific salvation historical aspect.
Every tribe, tongue and nation
That said, by application, and as a corollary, all racial barriers are broken down in Christ. We believe in a heaven where there will be people from every tribe and nation and language.
This all makes me think. Clearly, we do not know exactly what Jesus would do if he were walking the streets of Ferguson today. But we do know what he did do. He died.
Most commentators on Ferguson consider that the issue is about justice. What really happened? Who is truly to blame? How can these wrongs be righted? Matters of justice are hugely important. But they are different from matters of revenge. ‘ “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord’ (Romans 12.19). How do we discern between the two? How do we avoid the one while we embrace the other?
It all comes down to a death. A body. Nails. Blood. In other words, the price has already been paid.
