Why Banksy is so wrong

It's probably true to say that the name of Banksy is one of the most well-known and widely recognised names in the UK.  At the same time, he is a mysterious character who appears to shy away from the limelight.  He is, of course, most well-known as a graffiti artist, and his works have changed hands for significant sums.  Despite the mystery surrounding his true identity, Banksy is also known as a political activist and commentator.  His Twitter account has almost 1.5 million followers, indicating that people are eager to know what he thinks about various issues.

I am one of his Twitter followers;  some of the things he comes out with are very thought-provoking and can be quite inspiring.  I have a feeling that I've used one of his tweets as a conversation piece for a previous blog.  When I read one of Banksy's latest tweets, however, I found it to be desperately sad:

LOVE YOURSELF. IN THE END YOU ARE ALL THAT YOU'VE GOT. YOU LIVE AND DIE ALONE. EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN IS TEMPORARY. LOVE YOURSELF FIRST.

Isn't that such a bleak outlook on human existence?  It seems devoid of hope, and a person without hope is in a desperate state.  The writer of the Biblical book of Proverbs states, 'Hope deferred makes the heart sick' (Proverbs 13:12).

I would love to have the opportunity to chat with Banksy and discover where the thought came from.  Although he is well known and admired for his artwork, the picture he paints with those words is very bleak indeed.  It is a picture of terrible isolation, with the underlying thought that ultimately there is no-one else who cares or who can be relied upon.  The image of a world in which the only true love is self-love is incredibly sad.

Thank God (literally) that the message of the Bible is so different.  The next sermon I will preach (already prepared before I read Banksy's comment) happens to be based on the call of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, when God utters these incredible words to the young Jeremiah,  

Before I formed you in the womb,
    I knew you.
Before you were born,
    I set you apart.

God's knowledge of us is so intimate, so astounding.   Later in the book of Jeremiah, God speaks these comforting words through his prophet, 'I love you with an everlasting love.'  God's love for us is not temporary, something which he might withdraw at a whim.  It is not based on what we deserve or on our good deeds.  God loves us because that is his nature ('God is love.')

Human love can be inconsistent.  There may be those who claim to love us who hurt us deeply by words or actions.  We may sometimes feel deeply betrayed by someone close to us, and at times we may believe that we are all alone in the world.  Yet the marvellous truth is that we have a loving Father God who loves us with an eternal love.  Jesus came to reveal the Father's love for us, and he did so supremely when he laid down his life for us.  Through faith in him we are brought into God's family and come to know him as our loving heavenly Father.

I can only echo the words of the songwriter Ian Smale:


Father God I wonder, how I managed to exist
Without the knowledge of your parenthood,
And your loving care.
But now I am your child, I am adopted in your family
And I will never be alone cause,
Father God you're there beside me.
And I will, sing your praises
I will sing your praises,
I will sing your praises,
Forevermore.