It was on this day, in 1868, that members of the KKK lynched Mr. S. A. Bierfield in Franklin, Tennessee. Allegedly, this was the first time the Klan had killed someone who was Jewish, although it was not the first time they had murdered someone.
In today’s world, the Klan, the Black Panthers and other hate groups still try to intimidate, harass and sometimes engage in violence against those that they see as the enemy. They try to justify their hatred by vilifying the perceived enemy as the true threat, thus making themselves to be righteous warriors. Sometimes these groups, the Klan included, will invoke the name of God and recite Scripture as if to say the Almighty supports their actions. Yet, here’s what the Scripture actually has to say about such people:
“If a man say, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who loves not his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment have we from Him: that he who loves God love his brother also.” (1 John 4:20-21)
This passage plainly condemns the attitudes and actions of these hate groups but it doesn’t just apply to those who lynch people or beat them with clubs. This also applies to those who murder their brother with their words. The world does this to Christians; Christians do this to Jews. Jews do this to Messianics and Messianics do this to Christians. We continually murder others with our words, all the time thinking — and saying — that we love God and that we represent God. Unfortunately, this is a characteristic of our past but hopefully, in the future, God’s people will correct this error. Even if we disagree with our brother vehemently, that doesn’t mean we have to hate and demean them.
The Bible records that when the time came for Yeshua to go to Jerusalem and fulfill the Father’s plan, He and His disciples were not welcome to enter a certain Samaritan city. Offended for His sake, two of his disciples said, “Do you want us to call down fire upon them, as Elijah did?” To this He said, in effect, “You really don’t know what I’m all about, because if you did, you wouldn’t be saying such things.” Unfortunately, we adopt that same attitude sometimes. We hide behind God and other things that we propose to be good in order to carry out our own agenda. Obviously, that is not something followers of the Messiah should take part in. To the contrary, we should stand against those things.
So, let’s strive to do a better job, individually and corporately, of faithfully representing the Messiah to the world. He said, the world would know that we are His disciples of our love for one another. The time has come for the world to see those who truly are His disciples.
Shalom.
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