Truth That Reconciles

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (NKJV)

 

Cry the Beloved Country tells the story of Stephen Khumalo and Arthur Jarvis during a time of systemic racial prejudice. When Steven Khumalo, a pastor, leaves his village to go to the big city in search of his son, he discovers that his son, Absolom, is in prison waiting to be tried for the murder of Arthur Jarvis. The tragic irony is that Jarvis is an activist fighting against the racial injustices in the country.

Arthur’s father, James, had been estranged from his son. When he comes to the city for his son’s funeral, he gets to understand his son better through his writings and speeches. His own prejudices confront him, and he starts to understand the dark side of the apartheid system. Jarvis and Khumalo meet by accident in the city. Khumalo has the opportunity to express his sadness and regret for the loss of Jarvis’s son and his own son's involvement. Absolom is found guilty and is sentenced to death.

When Jarvis, who lives close to Khumalo’s village, returns home, he decides to help Khumalo’s impoverished community. He helps them improve their farming techniques and builds a new church for Khumalo’s congregation. As a result, an unlikely bond is formed between them, and their lives become entwined as they both try to come to terms with the untimely loss of their sons.

Agents of Truth and Reconciliation

We live in a deeply divided world. A world where hatred and anger give rise to behaviour that only deepens the chasm. Often our hatred and anger arise from a lack of knowledge or understanding of the truth of a situation. Or it may even arise from complacency. We are willing to accept the truth told to us without taking the time to investigate whether what we hear is trustworthy.

We all have some form of prejudice towards people we engage with. These prejudices arise because we’ve heard something about them and we’ve taken them at face value. It may be a colleague at work, a boss, a family member, a fellow church member or someone you casually engage with. When we know the truth, we will understand why they behave the way they do. This will, in turn, change our behaviour toward them. As followers of Christ, we can extend the Lord’s kindness, grace and mercy towards them. As followers of Christ, we are called to clothe ourselves with kindness, mercy and grace.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12 (NLT)

When we do this, we can, like James Jarvis, change not only one person’s life, but perhaps that of a community. Let us allow God to use us to be His agents of truth and reconciliation.

If there is to be reconciliation, first there must be truth. Timothy B. Tyson

 

Reflection:

Have there been times when you’ve been prejudiced towards others because of what you’ve heard about them?

Prayer:

Forgive me, Lord, for the times I’ve accepted information I heard about others as the truth. Help me to seek truth and be an agent of reconciliation in my relationships with others. In Jesus’ name, amen.