According to the American Presidency Project at the University of California (Santa Barbara), the phrase “the right side of history” was used in speeches 15 times by President Obama. He liked its twin, “the wrong side of history,” almost as much. Many others have also used the idea.
There is a massive assumption with this view: Is history taking us toward a better day? We shouldn’t climb aboard if we don’t know the destination.
According to Pew Research, more than 80% of Mississippians claim Christianity. I presume that means, at the very least, they think Jesus’ sayings are worth hearing. So let’s listen to Him.
In His famous Lessons by the Lake (Mt 13), Jesus gave two contrasting views of world history. Seven parables are given, with the first four spoken to the multitude when “Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.” (Mt 13:1)
These four portray how history might appear to the crowd. The stories are full of sabotage and subterfuge, with the dark side seeming to win.
He talked about the devil stealing God’s Word if we become indifferent to it, of the enemy entangling believers in world affairs to neutralize them, of the corrupting influence of error regarding Christ being subtly slipped in, and of Christendom becoming the “dwelling place of demons.” (Rev 18:2)
“Evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse” (2 Tim 3:13), agrees Paul. “There is a way that seems right to a man,” writes Solomon, “but its end is the way of death.” (Prov 14:12) Do you want to be on the “right side” of a history like that?
How can the generation that has seen genocide on a monumental scale, the development of weapons of mass destruction, several world wars, the collapse of the family, marriage redefined out of existence, and the rejection of absolute truth, convince themselves that history is on the upswing?
When Jesus was crucified by a mob, would that have been a good time to be on the wrong side of history? How about when believers were being thrown to the lions in Rome? Throughout history, the crowd has usually been wrong.
But Jesus didn’t stop with the four parables by the sea. He “sent the multitude away and went into the house” (Mt 13:36) with His disciples.
There He told three more parables from a very different perspective. Not now chaos and corruption, the last three gave Jesus’ followers an insight into His working behind the scenes.
They show the Lord uncovering a cask of gems and purchasing a magnificent pearl. “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord, “on the day that I make them My jewels.” (Mal 3:17) These represent the millions all over the planet who even now are turning to Him as Savior. That’s not reported on the evening news, is it!
In the last story, He sorts everything out at the end, like a fisherman sorts his catch. He was telling His people, “Relax. I’m right on schedule. Wait until I’m finished.” Then we’ll see that what the Word says is true. “The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 Jn 2:17) That’s being on the right side of history.
Because, after all, history is His story.
Article by Jabe Nicholson first published in the Commercial Dispatch, Saturday, March 25, 2023