While the national anthem was being played before the kickoff of the Orlando Magic vs. Brooklyn nets game, it was easy to notice one player standing out from the crowd. Magic forward, Jonathan Isaac, also an ordained minister, will always be recognized as the first-ever NBA player to fail to take a knee or pull on a “Black Lives Matter” shirt like the rest of his teammates. According to people that we’re aware of his decision, it did not surprise the rest of his teammates since it was something they had discussed beforehand, as written by the associated press. When asked about his beliefs concerning black lives matter, Jonathan Isaac asserted that he believed in the importance of black lives. However, he also said that many other factors influenced his decision. He clearly said that supporting the black lives does not necessarily have to go hand-in-hand with taking a knee or putting on a black lives matter t-shirt. Although he believes and supports the black lives matter movement, he felt it was a personal decision that had to be made.
According to Jonathan Isaac, his life has been based on the gospel and Jesus Christ, since everyone is created in God’s image. Every other day, every woman offense themselves doing things they should not be doing or saying things that don’t need to be said. We find ourselves pointing fingers and putting the blame on people as we try to justify our actions by citing obvious evils. In his own words, Jonathan Isaac was clear that he wanted to make a statement. Although he appreciates the fact that we all make mistakes, he also believes that there is Grace for every one of our ends Jesus died for all of our sins so that we can understand and grow the kind of relationship God wants to have with every human. By establishing this relationship, we will be able to look beyond race and other elements that are messed up in our world.
Jonathan Isaac was also clear that there are many more things that are going on in our world apart from racism. For him, the only way to go beyond racism and every other vice that plagues our current world are by dedicating our lives to the gospel. Talking about the relationship between religion and taking a knee during the national anthem is not just a religion but a relationship with God. Taking a knee or putting on a black lives matter t-shirt does not provide a solution. For him, all black lives get the support they need through the gospel. While we all make mistakes and go wrong in our day-to-day lives, we find ourselves becoming short of God’s glory. However, those who are going to humble ourselves and offer repentance for the since we commit will see the evils committed by other people differently. Jonathan Isaac also made it clear that this is the only way we will create a bond that brings us all together regardless of their skin color and anything else that does not associate with the hearts of human beings.
