Reflections from Pastor John Cao is a series of poetry and writings from the recently released Chinese Christian prisoner of conscience, exclusively published by ChinaAid. The piece below was written on May 15, 2024, and has been minimally edited for clarity. To read more of Pastor John Cao’s poetry, one can purchase the collection written while he was imprisoned, "Living Lyrics: Poems from Prison."
In China, political movements are often about people turning against each other, but there was one instance where even sparrows were affected. More than sixty years ago, sparrows found themselves in an awkward situation during a political movement, experiencing a fate similar to that of house church Christians. At that time, the entire country was in a frenzy, listing sparrows as one of the “Four Pests.” During the Patriotic Health Campaign, people chased sparrows around by banging on washbasins. House churches were one of the “Five Black Categories,” chased by atheist progressives from one place to another. Wang Mingdao was thrown into prison, and Lin Xiangao was sent to work in coal mines for more than twenty years.
Today, the status of sparrows has undergone a stunning reversal. Sparrows have transformed from pests to protected species under the law. In comparison, house church Christians have become even worse off than China’s sparrows. At any time, there are always twenty or thirty charges of persecution awaiting house church pastors, ranging from fraud to the crime of picking quarrels and provoking trouble.
House church Christians hope to become the next batch of sparrows in China, also listed as a protected species. Although in the eyes of some atheists we are not even as good as sparrows, in the eyes of the Lord Jesus we are worth many times more than sparrows. The Lord Jesus said, “So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:31) Sparrows and the flowers that bloom early and wither late by the roadside are all very precious in the eyes of the Heavenly Father. Those who belong to Christ are even more precious in the eyes of the Heavenly Father because of the redemption through Lord Jesus’ precious blood.
Since we are so precious in the eyes of the Heavenly Father, we can confidently face the world and even death. People die for those who know them best. Who knows us best? Who values us most? There is only one answer: The Heavenly Father. Knowing this, Lord Jesus tells us, “Do not be afraid.” For the sake of heaven's kingdom, we must march forward bravely.
Most sparrows act collectively. Flocks gather together forming a unique spectacle but sometimes they are solitary. Psalm 102:7 says: “I lie awake; I have become like a bird alone on a roof.” As I read this verse now I seem to see lonely sparrows standing on rooftops of detention centers and prisons.
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