J.R. Briggs

Asa, the Apostle Paul + freedom

July 31, 2009

• Tweet

Thanks to those free iTunes download business cards Starbucks gives out at their cash registers, I’ve been introduced to a Paris-born Nigerian singer named Asa (pronounced ‘asha’) and she’s fantastic. Her sound seems to be a mix between reggae, blues and jazz. Here are the lyrics to her hit song “Jailer.” (You can check out her website here see the YouTube video here). It’s a catchy tune, but the lyrics are piercing.

I’m in chains, you’re in chains too I wear uniforms
You wear uniforms too I’m a prisoner
You’re a prisoner too Mr. Jailer

I have fears you have fear too I will die
You self go die too Life is beautiful don’t you think so too Mr. Jailer 

I’m talking to you jailer
Stop calling me a prisoner
Let he who is without sin
Be the first to cast the stone Mr. Jailer 

You suppress all my strategy
You oppress every part of me
What you don’t know
You’re a victim too Mr. Jailer

You don’t care about my point of view
If I die another will work for you
So you threat me like a modern slave Mr. Jailer 

You don’t care about my point of view
If I die another will work for you
So you threat me like a modern slave Mr. Jailer

If you walking in a market place don’t throw stones
Even if you do you just might hit
One of your own
Life is not about your policies all the time
So you better rearrange your Philosophies
And be good to your fellow man, Jailer

I hear my baby say ‘I want be president’
I want chop money
From my government
What he don’t know Be safe Mr. Jailer

These lyrics stir something in me.

It’s a musical sermon, a clear cry against modern slavery (significant fact: there are more people in slavery around the world today than at any other time in human history).

A “reap what you sow” lesson.

A stubborn courage that says, “You can take away almost everything I’ve got, but you can’t take away my dignity.”

I don’t know the background story to this song (although I am sure there is a good one). But this I do know: This is stirring for me because I want freedom. We all want freedom.

When I listen to the courageous, blunt and poetic words of Asa I can’t help but think of the Apostle Paul.

• Can’t you imagine him saying something like this to his jailer in Rome as he wrote his now famous letter to the small house church in Philippi?
• Can’t you just hear he and Silas, speaking with a peaceful confidence with a big smile on their faces, communicating a similar message to the jailer in Acts 16?
• I took a seminary class with Scot McKnight on the book of Galatians (it was one of the best classes I’ve ever taken on any level of education). Paul’s letter is written to address what it means to be free men and women now that the tomb was empty. The thesis of the book is Galatians 5:1 – the point of Jesus is freedom.
• Even Jesus had a few things to say about giving up our rights in order to truly experience freedom.

This song forces me to ask some significant questions in light of the gospel:

[1] Why is freedom such a strong cry deep within each one of us?

[2] Who are the “jailers” in my life who should get an earful from me with this same message?

[3] What are the things that enslave me most?

[4] What does true gospel-centered freedom look like in my context?

[5] What is my role – and the Church’s role – among those who are physically imprisoned (many unjustly and illegally) and are desperately longing for freedom?

Posted in: Uncategorized