Letter To The Editor:

Even Jesus Spoke Out Against Injustice and the Misguided Actions of Others

1. “Ye blind guides” (Matthew 23:16).

2. “Ye fools” (Matthew 23:17).

3. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees…for ye are like whited sepulchres…full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27).

4. “Ye serpents” (Matthew 23:33).

5. “Ye generation of vipers” (Matthew 23:33).

6. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Luke 11:44).

7. “Ye are as graves which appear not” (Luke 11:44).

In my Bible, these words are in red. That means Jesus the Christ Himself said them. The idea that Christians—and even pastors—should avoid calling out wrongdoing is not Biblical.

The Christian faith was born as a resistance movement against corruption—both the oppressive Roman government and the religious hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes. These groups operated in subversive ways to rob the Jewish people of their humanity, dignity and resources. At every turn, Jesus confronted them.

One day, Jesus got so righteously angry that He went into the temple and flipped tables (Matthew 21:12-13). He wasn’t being divisive—He was being a voice for the voiceless.

Yet, today pastors are expected to stay silent and “go along to get along”? Absolutely not. If Jesus spoke out and confronted corruption, Christians have the same obligation.

As Obery Hendricks writes in The Politics of Jesus, “Ministers of the Gospel must comfort the afflicted, but they also have the prophet’s duty to afflict the comfortable.”

That is the biblical mandate of the Old Testament prophets—to speak truth to power and call out injustice.

A Modern Pharisaic System

Recently, the Columbus City Council operated in its usual secretive and Pharisaic manner in response to the resignation of Judy Thomas. Without public input or open nominations, Byron Hickey led the charge to appoint a replacement. Where has Byron been? Has he attended public forums in the larger footprint of District 1?

Those voting in the affirmative for this replacement: Hickey, Tucker, Crabb, Cogle, Davis and Walker—the same voting block responsible for most of the legislative body’s recent questionable actions.

Anyone with a sense of justice and due process should be outraged. Particularly given that the nominee has been involved in many of the city’s most recent controversies.

Meanwhile, none of these council members have spoken against John Anker’s divisive rhetoric on public agendas or in the media. The very day that Anker was appointed, he spewed divisive rhetoric during the public agenda. He identifies as a Christian. Why doesn’t anyone from city council tell him to act more like Jesus? 

The self-appointed council spokesperson provided a ChatGPT-generated response rather than denouncing the actions or words of others at council meetings. 

Have any of them called Nathan Smith divisive when he spews his hatred, disguised as truth, from the podium? No, they haven’t—because these individuals are simply saying what Hickey, Tucker, Crabb, Davis, Cogle and Walker truly believe.

 It seems that the only people who get labeled as agitators and not promoters of unity are people speaking against the actions of the Council. As long as you agree with the Council, you can say whatever you want even if it’s not the truth. 

True Peace vs. Manipulation

Not everyone who speaks of peace actually wants peace. Some only want the attention that comes with pretending they weren’t the ones who provoked the conflict in the first place. That’s manipulation.

These six Columbus Council members have provoked a portion of their constituents into speaking out against their actions. And that is exactly what democracy is built upon—resistance in the face of injustice.

Silencing or dismissing those who hold them accountable only reveals that these elected officials resent scrutiny and accountability.

If Jesus—our ultimate example—spoke truth to power and confronted corruption, why should we do any less? To stay silent in the face of injustice is to stand with the oppressor. And that is not the way of Christ.

Adrian J. Chester