 with
guest:
Craig Smith
You know, for us First Nations people, the question might be, "How
does Jesus relate to us?"
Back about 150 years ago, there was a U.S. president who issued a
decree to deport one of our tribes. They were to be sent away, many many
miles from their ancestral homelands. And they were sent in a very
difficult winter environment, packing and trudging their way from the east
coast all the way to the plains of Oklahoma.
That became known among the Cherokee tribe as the "Trail of
Tears." It was a very painful time in the history of our people. I
think of many of the Cherokees who died along the way. It was so difficult
for them to make that journey -- a forced exile out from their ancestral
homelands.
I also think of my wife's tribe. My wife is Navajo, and the Navajos
experienced the same kind of challenge. Many were, in a sense, herded up
and sent away because of a governmental decree. Again, it was in very
difficult weather conditions, and many died along the way.
How does that tie into the person of Jesus Christ? As I look at my
Bible, I read a story that talks about the birth of Jesus. It says that
there was a man named Caesar Augustus who issued a governmental decree
that there would be a census taken of the entire Roman world.
At that time Jesus' people, the children of Israel, were living in
the land that God had promised them, the ancestral homeland of their
people, Palestine. But they were under the rule of a dominant society
called the Roman empire.
Caesar was the emperor, and he issued a decree that everybody had to go
from wherever they were living to their own home town to register. And so
here's Jesus, yet to be born, in the womb of his mother Mary. The Bible
says, "They went up from the town of Nazareth, in a region called
Galilee, to another province called Judea. They went to the town in Judea
called Bethlehem, to the town of David called Bethlehem."
Isn't it amazing? I don't know if you've ever thought about it
this way, but when we celebrate the Christmas season -- the beauty of the
manger scenes, the lights and the decorations -- did you realize how hard
it was for them? Before He was ever born, Jesus was part of a forced
exile, a forced march.
I've had opportunity to be in the land of Israel. I remember going
along those roads in that area. We were traveling along paved highways,
but I can imagine what it was like because everywhere, off the paved
highways, all the terrain is so rocky. It would be so difficult to travel.
And there was political unrest at that time along their route. They
couldn't go the most direct route because of the political conflict with
a group of people called the Samaritans. So there is the Christ Child,
ready to be born. There's Mary -- that journey was, no doubt, a hard
thing.
It really helps to know that Jesus Christ, even in his birth, relates
so closely to us as Native people. He knows what it was like to be a part
of a forced march from a governmental leader. That was, in a sense,
another "trail of tears." It was a painful experience that
Jesus, in His humanity, endured. It really helps me to understand that,
when Jesus looks at us Native people, He knows the challenge. He was born
into his ancestral homeland. But at that time it was under the rule of a
strong super power that was calling the shots.
There are some of you who may be reading this and have said,
"Jesus makes no difference to me. He's the white man's God. That’s
the white man's gospel."
But the story of Jesus has so many parallels to the journey we have as
Native people. Do you realize that Jesus was born into a tribal group? In
the book of Genesis it talks about the 12 tribes of Israel. One of those
tribes was the line of David. And it's from that people group that Jesus
came into the world. It was a tribal group. It was also a minority group.
In the book of Deuteronomy it says that God
didn't choose Israel
because they were the mightiest. But they were the fewest. Do you realize
the Saviour of the world came to the world not only through a minority
group, but through the fewest of the few? They were the bottom of the barrel in
terms of how the rest of society viewed those people.
Jesus can understand the pain and the heartache and the challenge of
oppressed people because it was from that very kind of people He came. He
didn't just come into the world as a "generic" person. God
became flesh and He dwelt among us at the right time.
Jesus stands out so different from the rest of the world. You and I
were born to live. God gave us a purpose for life and we were born to live
forever. But do you know what Jesus was born to do? He was born to die. He
was the only one who was born with a specific purpose to die. He came here
for the purpose to grow up, live 33 and-a-half years, walk on this earth,
live a sinless life. And then He went to a cross and He paid the penalty
for sin.
This is the uniqueness of Jesus. This is why He relates to us as Native
people. He understands the challenge we face. Even the journey to His
birth was one of pain, one of a trail of tears. Jesus is relationally tied
to our journey and here's the gift He offers. He says, "I stretched
out my hands and I surrendered my life. I gave my life as a ransom for
you."
Would you accept Jesus into your heart and life? You can celebrate His
birth by accepting His death. And by doing so, trusting in Him and His complete work
to give you everlasting life.
I want to encourage you to get a hold of the people here at Tribal
Trails. They can pray with you. They can encourage you. They can give you
some resources to help you grow with your relationship in Jesus Christ.
What you have just read was adapted from a television broadcast of Tribal
Trails. We would be happy to hear your response. Please contact
us.
To meet more people like Craig Smith -- Native North Americans whose lives have
been changed by Jesus Christ -- be sure to tune in to Tribal Trails each week.
Or click Tribal Trails Guests.
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