The redemption of a black man

In the entire world, there has not been any other person of skin colour prejudiced as much as a black man. Prejudice can be defined as an adverse judgment of or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge of the facts. It is the kingpin of Satan’s origination, represented in falsehoods. Anything that does not represent facts comes from Satan, who Jesus said was the Father of lies.

“Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” (John 8:43-47 NIV).

The rejection of Jesus was not based on facts but on falsehoods, which originated from Satan. The most important work in this world is that of debunking falsehoods, primarily causing all existent problems. For any problem to exist there has to be a falsehood. Without lies, problems are nonexistent.

Prophetically, Jesus represented a black man, deprived of access to humanity, because of his skin colour? As far as other races are concerned, the black man is not qualified to be God’s child. This is similar to Jesus’ treatment, for not meeting Jewish standards, because of falsehoods.

“Who has believed our message and to who has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of the dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem” (Isaiah 53:1-3 NIV).

The above prophecy refers to none other than Jesus Christ. But it also refers to the prejudiced black man, despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Other races hide their faces, holding him in low esteem. With a face of a black man, it is like you have a ticket for being prejudiced.

Satan has made it his objective that nothing good can ever come from a black man. However, the black identity itself, like any racial pigmentation, portrays a false identity. True identity is not represented in skin colour, which the Jews also could not identify with. “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God” (John 8:47 NIV).

Another interesting observation is that, with falsified information, a person would defend it emotionally. This was typified in Jewish behaviour against Jesus. They were emotionally charged, but unable to back that emotion with facts. The stumbling block that exposes prejudice is the projected emotion.

He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from” (John 9:25-29 NIV).

With prejudice, reason and common sense are tossed out of the window. Emotion is the only weapon Satan uses to enforce falsehoods. Truth comes directly from God. The fact that the Jews did not like the person used by God, could not subtract from the fact that God was the source.

The source of prejudice is Satan, the father of lies. The mixture of truth and falsehood projects deception. Those succumbing to Satan’s schemes may not be aware of being Satan’s children, according to Jesus (John 8:45-57).

The most unpopular communication, in this world, is represented in truth. Jesus was crucified for no other reason, except that He advanced truthful information. He could have been very popular; had He advanced falsehoods in His messages. Hence, prejudice and Satan can be synonymous.

The sporadic attacks against blacks are a manifestation of prejudice against blacks. Sadly, black people often succumb to the idea that blacks are inferior to whites. The white supremacy viewpoint is generally allowed to permeate across black people.

In white-dominated schools, black children have a hard time. They are confronted by a perspective of inferiority. A white child in a black-dominated school, may feel prejudiced, as well. However, that prejudice cannot be regarded as unfair, where the white child would be granted the undeserved respect.

This is common, even under a government advocating Pan-Africanism, like Zimbabwe. For instance, Eddie Cross is, to the pragmatists, economically, unwise. But the government accords him with the highest respect, because of his skin colour, rather than his aptitude.

In South Africa, an Afro-phobic phenomenon has emerged. This is not instigated by whites, but by blacks, possibly, on behalf of white people. The root cause is prejudice against blacks who, seemingly, accept the viewpoint. The aberration is a manufactured falsehood that is crystallized in prejudice.

There is truth in that when a lie is repeated several times, it eventually becomes adopted as truth. Some people cannot even tell the definition of the word ‘truth.’ Governor Pilate struggled with the datum presented to him, litigating Jesus’ crucifixion.

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”  “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. The reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this, he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?” They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising (John 18:36-40 NIV).

There was truth in the testimony that Jesus was born to be a King, which Pilate could not comprehend. Unfortunately, though, Pilate did not wait for the response, after asking the question: “What is truth?” Nevertheless, Governor Pilate had an intuition, insisting that Jesus was not guilty of any crime.

The quality of truth cannot be confronted with falsehood. Jesus represented what was beyond the Jewish citadel comprehension. Jesus was born to be the King of the entire humanity. This implied that even the esteemed Governor Pilate was not qualified to pass a sentence against Jesus.

Truth is what remains to be. This is different from falsehood, appearing to be; but not what would remain to be. The Jews had concluded their judgment, based on appearance, but not on reality. Therefore, on the cross, falsehood was crucified, so that the truth could triumph. This makes the cross a symbol of triumphant victory.

The falsified appearance was nailed on the cross, rather than the truth, incomprehensible to the crucifiers. The prejudice against blacks is based on what appears to be, but which is unreal. The truth remains with those that Jesus said would understand. This was stated in his communication with Pilate: “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

The testimony of Jesus signified the demarcation between two groups. Those on the side of truth would understand. But those not on the side of truth would not understand Him. Another characteristic of those who would not be on the side of truth is associated with being emotional.

A person on the side of truth would be willing to listen, based on reason. His intellectual discernment would be based on reason, rather than tradition. This could be easily observed in the behaviour of the Jews towards Jesus. The Jews manifested this malady at His mention of being the Son of God.  

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father” (John 8:34-38 NIV).

The Jews did not consider the possibility that they might not have had the truth. Their assumption of being truthful was based on dogmatism. Such people are willing to maim and kill, assuming to be on the Lord’s side, against the vilified person. They would be exposed by their emotional behaviour.

A truthful person portrays his position, analytically, without necessarily having to be emotional. Emotional opponents are known to succeed in blocking truthful people from asserting their positions. Due to ignorance, the emotional opponents assume to know, even without sufficient information.

“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son?  Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works; that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp (John 10:33-39 NIV).

When fully aware of the functional mechanism of the mind, one would not be surprised by the behaviour of the Jews. They sincerely thought they knew what they were doing. Their association with God had been premised on physical experience that physical people cannot be associated with God. There was no falsehood in that reality, as that datum remains true even today.

But, as a prophet, Abraham was God’s child. The Jews were Abraham’s biological children, but without displaying the faith of Abraham. Jesus revealed that they took pride in being Abraham’s descendants, without applying Abraham’s conviction. Abraham knew God, but they did not know God.

They did not have the faith of Abraham, who became willing to sacrifice his own son, Isaac, to obey God. They did not connect with the aspect of being God’s children. This is notwithstanding that the Scriptures showed that humans were created in God’s image. They were gripped in falsehood.

The racial outlook does not determine who God’s children would be, or would not be. The primary datum is that God is Spirit. “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and truth” (John 4:24 NIV). This information grants redemption to humanity. If God is Spirit, humanity ought to be Spiritual.

The idea of formulating prejudice against a section of humanity was discarded by Jesus. That prejudice was nailed on the cross, leaving what was created in God’s image free. However, according to Jesus, this information was not designed for those not on the Lord’s side.

He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise, they might turn and be forgiven!’” (Mark 4:11-12 NIV).

The good news is that there is no reason to despair when one is prejudiced. What remains is the truth of being God’s child, as prejudice was nailed on the cross. Falsehood may serve to punish the physical flesh, but it cannot access the Spiritual person.

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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