I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the “Black Lives Matter” and “All Lives Matter” discussion. Is it ok to say Black Lives Matter or do we need to clarify that All Lives Matter? I’ve had some amazing conversations with people about injustice, racism, and the experiences of people who look different than me. I highly recommend listening to my conversation with Chris Griffith here.

After months of such discussions, Luke 15 and the Parable of the Lost Sheep slapped me square in the face the other day and provided me with some helpful insight as to how Jesus might have thought about this issue.

In this parable, Jesus tells a story about a shepherd who has 100 sheep and loses one. Without knowing how far or how long he must look to find the one lost sheep, he leaves the 99 sheep who aren’t lost in the wilderness in order to search for the one who is. When he finds this lost sheep, he rejoices and throws a party because the one sheep has been found.

What has struck many readers of this parable, myself included, is that it doesn’t seem to make sense. Isn’t the shepherd forgetting about the 99 and putting them in danger by going after the one? Shouldn’t we yell to Jesus, “all sheep matter!” It appears that Jesus is putting value on only one sheep and is abandoning the other 99 to whatever may happen while the shepherd is away.

For Jesus, however, none of the sheep are safe if one is lost and not found. The safety and dignity of each and every sheep matters to an infinite degree. Therefore, rather than being lessened by the shepherd leaving the 99 in order to find the one, the truth is that the honor, safety, and well-being of the 99 is actually increased. The moment the shepherd leaves them to find the one sheep, the 99 realize that if they are ever lost, the shepherd will do the same thing for them. 

The shepherd prioritizing the one sheep at this moment reassures all of the sheep that their lives matter too. If the shepherd didn’t leave the 99 to find the one, it would actually be more concerning to the 99 because they will realize at that moment that not one of them is important enough to be singled out if in trouble. By showing that “one sheep matters,” the shepherd is actually declaring that “all sheep matter.” Without truly doing whatever he can for the one who is suffering, the group cannot be sure of their own standing or what would happen to them if they found themselves in a bad situation.

In our world today, there is a lot of debate and misunderstanding around saying that black lives matter. Many feel a need to respond with all lives matter. The thing that is being missed, however, is that saying black lives matter isn’t to say that all lives don’t matter. It is included and actually helps reiterate that all lives matter. That’s the point of saying it! It is to say that in the current system at this current time, there is special attention that needs to be paid to the fact that black people in the United States aren’t being treated in a way that honors them as men and women made in the image of God.

When one person or group isn’t safe, none of us are safe. If one group doesn’t matter as much as others, then the truth is that none of us matter. I think that might be what scares us the most. We realize that in this moment in history, the system doesn’t care about any of us when it doesn’t care for some of us. We need to be able to proclaim that black lives matter right now, just like the shepherd needed to go after the one sheep. We must create a world where everyone truly does matter, but we can only do so by seeing, hearing, and loving those who currently have been pushed to the side.

Right now, we need to pay attention to black lives that are not being seen, heard, or loved because of systemic, cultural, and historical racism and injustice. We need to pay attention to the ways the system benefits some at the expense of others. When black lives truly matter, then we can claim all lives matter. When they don’t matter, then we have to wonder if any lives matter. After all, Scripture makes it clear that “whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:21 NIV). If we cannot love our brother, we need to be curious about how much we really love God.

At Ruah Space, our desire is to make space for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit so we can connect deeper with God, ourselves, others, and the creation. Part of making space means making space for our brothers and sisters, for “the other.” We are called to make space in this world for everyone, for all lives. At certain points in time, however, it is important to recognize that there may be one person or group that needs more attention, more voice, more space than the others. To do this is to follow the teaching of Jesus. Right now, people of color in the United States are frequently treated in ways that are not acceptable in the Kingdom of God.

If we truly believe that all lives matter, we must speak out and act for justice for black lives. What we do for others is what we do for ourselves and for Jesus.

Therefore, I say that Black Lives Matter.