Prejudice against Africa, unwarranted

Humanity is the same, although geographically and racially divided. This is the most important piece of information, requiring dissemination and application. It is totally insane, to discriminately view human beings, according to racial and educational background. It appears true that some people appear more informed than others, on matters of access to information.

Let us analyze God’s views on saving lives. The physical nature carries the being, created in God’s image. It is, therefore, wrong and unreasonable to consider other people as more important and worth living, than others. Joseph’s brothers committed the most abominable sin, ill-treating their brother. But Joseph clarified a point, which may still not be understood by many.

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them” (Genesis 50:19-21 NIV).

Joseph was giving assurance to his brothers who, through their jealousness, had treated him awkwardly. In Joseph, they had seen a conceited young fellow, undeserving to live. They had attempted to kill him but failed, due to God’s intervention. They, instead, sold him to foreigners, who could have easily done the dirty work of eliminating his life.

Those brothers could not have assumed that the Egyptians were civilized, as to look after their estranged brother. Selling Joseph to foreigners was as good as condemning him to die. Hence, it could not be possible for them to recognize Joseph when they came looking for food in Egypt.

After Jacob’s death, the brothers of Joseph became stuck with uncertainty. They were unsure of how Joseph would revenge for their awkward behaviour. Jacob’s presence had all along been the reconciling factor, who they looked to, for identity and sanguinity. Now that Jacob was no more; what would be their future, under the protection of a person they had previously, barbarically ill-treated?

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed to treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept. (Genesis 50:15-17 NIV).

Whatever the wrong conduct, committed against other humans, one becomes haunted. Joseph’s brothers were aware of the wrongness committed against Joseph. The fair question had been what Joseph would do, to avenge for their wrongful behaviour. They knew that they were guilty of sin, for which they deserved judgment.

They had then been under the protection of the man they had condemned to die. However, as far as Joseph was concerned, no vengeful consideration had crossed his mind. He had facilitated their protection in Egypt, aware of God’s plan to save lives. Joseph carried some divine knowledge, unknown by his fallible brothers.

They may not have been comfortable in Egypt. But Joseph was comfortably at home. Egypt, though foreign to the Canaanites, had become a place of refuge for Joseph. The blood of Joseph and that of his brothers had been the same. The only differentiating line had been jealousy, leading to his brothers selling him into slavery.

Joseph’s story is a precursor of what is revealed in Jesus, the Son of Man. The condemnation of Joseph could be viewed as worse than could have been their decision to kill him instantly. His brothers assumed that by selling Joseph to foreigners, they were sealing his fate. Without security, Joseph was as good as dead.

The only Satanic wickedness was condemning him to die in the hands of infidels. They were clear of the kind of death that could possibly meet Joseph. However, the brotherhood of men cuts across the entire humanity. When perceiving a white man, you see a man who is white, but whose blood is as good as yours.

Similarly, when you see a black man, you see a man whose blood is as good as yours. The same applies to any person of any racial outlook, regardless of culture and sinful conditions. This was the divine knowledge, in Joseph’s mind, but not in his brothers’ minds. Even focusing on Joseph’s brother’s wrongness against Joseph is unwarranted.

They had been in Egypt under the grace of Pharaoh. What was their attitude towards the Pharaoh, who looked after their benevolent, Joseph; also allowing them to peacefully settle in their land? What caused the brothers of Joseph to wickedly treat him, is the dividing line, needing elimination.

The entire humanity unnecessarily suffers under the curse of this line. Humans treat each other as foreigners, even though being of the same blood. Not one person deserves death, in the place of another. In Jesus, we see a human character, not easily racially identified. He was born a Hebrew Jew. But those Jews disowned Him, just like the Israelites disowned Joseph.

Who was Jesus? But the most poignant question, ought to be; who were those people who disowned Jesus? The entire humanity comes from one source, and that source is God almighty because they were created in God’s image. They were God’s children.

This describes divine knowledge, unknown to ordinary humans. Any label, characterized in racial, tribal, or any other identity, is not an accurate description of humanity. Jesus revealed this mystery to His disciples. Ordinary humanity had remained ignorant, identifying humanity according to label, and disregarding authorship.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah (Matthew 16:13-20 NIV).

The identity of Jesus was not limited to His Messiahship. He was also the Son of the Living God. This was the divine knowledge, which flesh and blood could not reveal. The idea of categorizing people, according to race, and background, had never been of God. That faulty understanding is limited to flesh and blood.

Joseph’s brothers treated him in the manner that they could not have desired to be treated. However, the experiences of life, taught them that whatever ill-treatment, inflicted on Joseph, was inflicted upon themselves. An evil thing committed to another, regardless of racial outlook, is committed upon oneself.

Racial division was never a Godly idea. After removing every obstacle along the way, we have humans coming back to their original condition of God’s image. There is no other solicitor for this exercise, except Jesus, as manifested in relevant prophecies about Him.

The currently prevailing viewpoint of humanity is the assumption that humans are not related. Others are assumed as superior to others, whereas others are viewed as not deserving to live. At face value, this appears true. But this is a complete fabrication, legendarily designed by the architect of falsehood—Satan.

Humans are as equal as created in God’s image. The failings or inabilities manifesting in others is the responsibility of those perceiving such inadequacies. The greatest datum to be embraced by all is that each of us is a brother’s keeper. We owe those perceived in whatever sinful condition, with help, in whatever capacity, according to our capabilities. This principle is applicable to each and every human being.

The condition of African people is currently an embarrassment to the entire world. Some blacks are, actually, embarrassed by being Africans. Other races may pretend to love Africans, but mostly for the little benefits from those Africans. Nevertheless, if educated, and of the Germanic origin or any other race; Africa is a reflection of your true character.

Of course, this is more applicable to blacks perceiving fellow Africans behaving wickedly but looking the other side. One may be comfortable in a foreign land. But haunted by a deep-seated conviction, one draws discomfort when watching the behaviour of fellow Africans.

Others go to extremes, killing their own relatives, so they could access wealth. To them, humanity implies owning properties and living comfortably, even though watching others die on street corners. Humanly speaking, those of other races are justified, when making obnoxious utterances against Africans.

Bad feelings are based on legendary falsehood, that humans, in their sinful conditions, are responsible for liberating themselves. But it takes one, out of the miry mud, to rescue one mired in mud. The condition of Africans is not for Africans to deal with.

In miry condition already, Africans cannot extricate themselves to freedom. Africans need those in the condition of freedom to come to their rescue. There are excuses like “interference” being peddled by the purveyors of wickedness. But Africans need help, in their miry condition.

This requires due expertise in rescue operations. The inexperienced person risks perishing. The focus should be on rescuing, before focusing on the risk involved. What can one do, to rescue a person in a miry condition? It is an exercise requiring heroism of a grand scale.

Jesus left a legacy that ought to be emulated by those claiming to be His followers. Africa needs tactical skills of the rescue operation to handle their predicament. This is possible, when not viewing Africans as different from other races. Africa’s appalling sinful condition is dangerous. It has created dictators, obsessed with pinning down human progress.

The wrong thing is to take a paternal stance, as distancing oneself from the African conditions. A committed rescuer cannot be irritated by their cantankerous behaviour. Like Joseph, towards his foolish brothers, he focuses on the principle of saving lives. Regardless of different skin colour, the rescuer carries a deep-seated conviction that all humans are his brothers. They were created in God’s image, just as he/she was.

“We know that we have passed from death to life. Because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” (1 John 3:14-16 NIV).

Africa has become a citadel of evil, which they inherited from their colonial masters. Those colonialists galvanized their impression that other humans are superior to others. The black leaders then ignorantly assume that oppressing other people is necessary, in order to be classified highly.

This viewpoint includes avoiding responsibility, so that wrong things are blamed on scapegoats. They can kill another person, but blame the murder on the one killed. The ready scapegoats are colonial masters, whose generation has got nothing to do with those living today.

The symptom of evil is blaming other people. In other words, evil is characterized by finding fault with other people, rather than finding fault with self. When Joseph’s brothers ganged up against him, they felt justified. They felt innocent, until finding themselves at Joseph’s mercy.

Joseph never sought to attach any fault against his brothers. He exonerated them, telling them that God’s intention was to save lives. Joseph was used by God to save his wicked brothers. Similarly, there is no point in other races feeling antagonized by Africans’ behaviour. The only desirable behaviour towards Africans are solutions to extricate them from their miry condition.

Except for skin colour, Africans are not different from other races. Treating them as if treating self, is what is required to handle their condition. The common denominator is God’s image. This is why the golden Law states: “Love your neighbour as yourself” The rest fits, according to this Law.

Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those having witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. In a simple conversational tone, most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope.

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