The Black Bean
“… he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”
Hebrews 9:26–28
Allow me to continue to hover just a bit on the theme we began yesterday — what comes of our disobedience? Well, not only did shame and guilt grow out of the disobedience of those first humans, but death did as well. God’s intent was that life would reign, but sin brought death into the picture along with things such as decay and rust. As much as we wince at the thought, each of us has been grafted into the family that must face a final day.
Shortly after moving to Houston nearly 16 years ago now, my wife, Laura, and I made our first pilgrimage to the Alamo. The trip to the nexus of history and tragedy was humbling and disquieting. It reminded me of my first trip to the USS Arizona’s “remains” in Pearl Harbor four decades ago.
The familiar battle cry, “Remember the Alamo,” and the tragic events that haunt those hallowed grounds are, in a very authentic way, a kind of tangible fertilizer that empowered the people of what would become Texas to eventually defeat Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. The same could be said of Pearl Harbor. That day of infamy was a turning point that not only called for a response but demanded it. Reflecting on that day continued to empower the men and women of our armed forces to defeat the enemies that had attacked us. It’s strange how something tragic, even ominous, can in some way be redeemed.
My wife and I took notice of one of Santa Anna’s terrifying methods of executing his prisoners, the “Black Bean.” So, May 14, 1836, marked the day of Texas’s independence from Mexico. The Mexican government had forced Santa Anna into retirement because of his great defeat, but it did not last long because disputes with the French caused Santa Anna to emerge from retirement in 1839. A mere two years later, Santa Anna was once again the president with dictator power. In October of 1841, Santa Anna ordered Texas prisoners to be marched back to Mexico. Countless prisoners died along the way; a tally of the dead was kept by stringing their ears on a leather thong. San Antonio was invaded by Santa Anna’s army in 1842, and in retaliation, the Texans seized the town of Mier only to immediately surrender it.
During the march to Mexico, the prisoners revolted and escaped only to be recaptured. As punishment for the attempted escape, Santa Anna decided to execute one man for every ten men that were allowed to live. Each man was blindfolded and forced to draw a bean from a bag. A white bean meant the prisoner went back to the jail. However, if he drew a black bean, the prisoner was executed by firing squad.
A black bean is on display at the Alamo with an appropriate write-up and a letter that one young man wrote to his mother after he had drawn his own black bean. It was daunting indeed to read the young fellow’s words of dread, of knowing his death was only moments away. He wrote that he hoped that his death would bring meaning to his life.
We are days away from contemplating the day Jesus drew a black bean — a vivid reminder that someday each one of us will draw ours as well. We need to make this a connection, as the passage from Hebrews lays out.
Now, how can we, in the same way that the survivors of the Alamo or Pearl Harbor did, turn this black bean reminder into something that defeats the darkness? We have to spend some time thinking about death. If we know it is coming, then what are we doing with our lives? What are we allowing Jesus Christ to do in us to help us prepare for that moment? How are we living? How are we preparing to die? Are we prepared for what comes after death? These are the crucial questions we must ask.
I would have hated to have been one of those prisoners who reached into Santa Anna’s bean bag, but, in a way, I already have. We have all drawn the black bean; there is no getting around that. Are we prepared for what comes with that? Better yet, are we allowing God to help us prepare for what lies ahead?
A Question to Ponder
Knowing that you have drawn the black bean, what are you doing to prepare for that moment? And for what follows?
A Prayer
God is eternal light.
May I die at peace with my God.
Lord, stay by our door. Amen.
An Early Christian inscription[1]
[1] Adalbert-G. Hamman, comp. "Early Christian Prayers" (Chicago: H. Regnery Co., 1961).
