Of Love and Our Lion and His Love

The Lion of Judah, He came

The Son set down in our world,

and still He reigned

Our infatuation with killing

extended to Him

He was slain

All that He made will get this redemption, it’s finally reclaimed, we’ll sing

Somebody told me,

I won’t need a shoulder to weep on,

no more tears

Somebody told me,

I ain’t gotta hold no heat

ain’t no mo fears,

Life as we know it will change

Don’t need no pills ain’t no pain

Ain’t no successor

Forever He reigns

Trip Lee – “A Billion Years”

And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.

Revelation 5:9

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

Revelation 7:9-10

The Laments in Midlothian were written out of a heart of sorrow over the tragic death of Jemel Roberson,  and the pain of his loved ones at his being killed, and the fear that justice would not be done for him (and them), because of an unjust, discriminatory legal system born out of a history and culture of racism and violence. The entirety of the brokenness can be traced back to the lowly lion, and the roaring of his voice and his thoughts into our world, and humanity entering into agreement with the principles and theories spewed and belted out by him and his fellow principalities and thrones in the spiritual.

We have looked at how primary justice and a prophetic ministry of honor may have prevented the Laments from ever occurring if those who professed the name of Christ abided by the law of love.

Today, in the series conclusion, I will turn a little more of the focus on our Lion who is the Lord and who is Love.

David Mathis points to why Jesus is the Lion of Judah in this Desiring God article “The Legacy of Good Leadership Is Sacrifice”, by looking at His self sacrificial love for humanity. Mathis describes Judah as having served as a “pledge of safety”, a protection, a security for another, even at the cost of self.

The greatest and highest praise is given to Jesus, the Lamb on the throne, because of His sacrifice in redeeming humanity, and making a path for us to move back into right-relationship with God.

In Revelation, a multiethnic, multinational multitude is before the throne in heaven rejoicing. I have come to believe that every language includes not just languages, but dialects. So I believe there will be not only English, but American English, and not only American English, but Maryland American English, and not only Maryland American English, but Baltimore Maryland American English, and not only Baltimore Maryland American English, but Sandtown Baltimore Maryland American English and Reservoir Hill Baltimore Maryland American English, and on and on.

And all of these languages will be there because of the heart of the Father, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the sacrifice of the Son.

Jesus embodied the heart of God the Father to the fullest (John 5:19-20, John 8:28, John 10:30). He crossed the divides of Heaven and Earth and the grave to redeem. “He protect, He attack, He faces danger to get us back.”

As I’ve written before, Jesus wept with those who wept.

God was intimately close to Jemel Roberson as he was knit together in his mother’s womb, and as bullets entered his back and side. The lowly lion saw Jemel as a threat, and through fear. The Lord, our Lion saw him through love, and placed faith in his potential to love and bless.

As the lowly lion may have rejoiced at his killing, the Lord, our Lion would weep as those who loved him wept and weep.

Our Lord and our Lion would weep also because He knows the pain of death, the anxiety and agony in those final moments of fatal, life breaking violence.

(If you can, please view the below embedded video, King’s Kaleidoscope – “A Prayer” (Lyrics). The embedded video is a lyric video, so even if you can’t listen to it, you can still feel some of its weight. If you can do audio, watch a live version of the song here.)

King’s Kaleidoscope – “A Prayer” (Lyrics)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

John 3:16-17

Jesus Christ died for sinful humanity before we deserved it, before we could even think (falsely) that we could earn it, because He loves. And oh How He Loves.

The Lord knows that the lowly lion longs to fill our hearts and our cultures and our societies with fear and division so that the laments continue. But He, our Lord, longs to fill our lives and our hearts and cultures and societies with love that flows from Him.

Love that flows to those that do violence, and to the victims of violence and injustice.

There is no way to undo the laments in Midlothian. The trigger pulls of Ian Covey are permanent.

We can, and should pray God’s comforting for Jemel’s family, just as we pray that some form of justice for Jemel will be done. However, even with fair sentencing, there is no way to bring Jemel back.

But we do know that he played praise music. As we continue to pray and advocate for justice to come we can, and should, also fill some of the space with praise.

This can disrupt the growls and roars of the lowly lion. Those growls and roaring would turn fear and violence into fear and violence and hate, and would turn our imaginations only to evil after his kind.

Those things would distract us from engaging with God to pursue and advocate for justice while we speak out against injustice.

So let us drown out that lowly growl and roar with praise and songs of justice, to disrupt the lowly lion’s voice, and to establish a foothold and a pedestal for the Lord.

And we should make sure our praise has a nice drum line, at least some of the time.

I think Jemel would like that.

And I think it would remind us of love and God’s love for Midlothian and Chicago and its people, even in our lament.

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Songs:

Trip Lee – “A Billion Years”

Beautiful Eulogy – “Immanuel” and “Worthy”

Propaganda – “Lofty”

Eshon Burgundy – “Intro” (from the album The Passover)

Steven Malcom “Even Louder” ft. Natalie Grant

And all of the songs that were mentioned throughout the series. And many more I’m sure, I’m sure, and many more, I’m sure.