THE POTTER’S FIELD
Dedicated to over a million souls buried in the Potter’s Field, Hart Island, New York USA
(Many are unclaimed, unknown victims of the coronavirus pandemic)
The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. (Psalms 24”1, NLT)
Beautiful souls, at the end of life, sailed across from the Bronx, New York to Hart Island, laid to rest in the Potter’s Field. Forgotten in life, unclaimed in death, eerily sailed across to their final resting place. The fate of beautiful souls estranged from their loved ones and tagged unknown. Poor and needy folks, many fallen through the social net of a populous teeming nation. What an indictment that so many should lose their status and live destitute lives in the world’s most powerful nation. What is power? Is it not to be a force for good to help those least able to help themselves? In a leadership capacity, is it not to make a difference, to be fair and just.
The most powerful person who ever walked this earth was Jesus. He was a game changer and went against the grain of His society. ‘Don’t you know I have power to release you?’, said Pilate to Jesus. Jesus retorts, ‘You have no power unless I give it to you from above’. (John 19:10). That’s right! You have no power world leaders, unless authorised by God. “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” (Psalms 24:1, NLT). Is power not given to lift up the fallen and improve the life chances of the least able? God has not chosen you to lead His people if you have not His heart.
Hey, power grabbers, career leaders – Jesus is saying that you have no power because He has not chosen you. For 30 pieces of silver you have assumed ‘power’ to betray the trust of the people. Jeremiah 3:15 gives the assurance that our Lord, who cares for the poor and needy, will give the people good leaders. Leaders who will have the heart of our heavenly father, to lead them with divine wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Leaders who will seek to alleviate the human and social challenges of a nation. The social deprivation blighting nations is the scourge of modern living.
The beautiful souls without social help to come back from the slippery slopes of a life breakdown sat alone with tear-stained faces, just hoping. Hoping for a better life, reflecting on what could have been. Dire situations, overwhelming challenges caused many to lose that hope, to resort to eating from garbage tips, sleeping rough in subways under the open skies. These are the many souls who died, ended up in America’s ‘Akeldama’ – ‘known in bible times as the Field of Blood’ or namely the Potter’s Field. Whatever name can be attributed to this place of the dead on Hart Island, it is most certainly now the final state of the many ‘unknowns’ and now COVID-19 victims. Beautiful, beautiful souls now laid to rest in the Potter’s Field freed from their toils and struggles . The daily worries have now ceased. The lonely cold nights, tearful silent whisperings that reached the attentive ear of our loving Lord is a finished life chapter. The guilt, and wretched failures that may have kept them ashamed and estranged from loved ones, was watched over and taken care of by Jesus, the people’s Saviour. They have now taken that eternal flight, free as a bird.
The Potter’s Field on Hart Island may be distantly removed from the mainlands, America’s place of the dead, forgotten in life, unknown rejects. Could it be that in life they may not have been affirmed, wanted and cared for – but in death they are actually in a better place, asleep, safely in the arms of Jesus?
Gwendolyn Smith : 11th APRIL 2020