Pick Up The Bones (Brutal Planet, 2000)

This week’s post is the next ‘Brutal Planet‘ track we will be looking at (if you haven’t already, be sure to check out the ‘Brutal Planet‘ post from last October). ‘Pick Up The Bones‘ is this week’s focus and lines up perfectly with so much of what is going on in the world. At the time this track was cut, more than 72 wars/altercations were taking place in the world. Genocide was at an all-time high. Can anyone living in a civilized nation with little violence in comparison ever really understand anything like that? One source quoted Alice as saying, “I was watching CNN and there was this guy walking through the rubble in Bosnia and he’s got a pillow case and he’s picking up bones and saying things like, ‘This is my brother, this is my uncle and this is my sister’. It was horrible!” Thanks to Jos Kroes, from the FB Group Ol’ Black Eyes, for pointing this out.

This song has so much to say. There are so many meanings and proverbial messages found within it, yet we will be focusing on three central themes. They are as follows: 1) Warfare, 2) Family Dysfunction, and 3) A Call for Unity.

Warfare.
The song screams of warfare. It’s obvious there’s been major destruction leaving nothing but death – a wasteland of shattered bodies and debris. An insane altercation has left a family in ruins. The lyrics horrifically point to the casualties of war. In Hosea 4:2, it reads, “there is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.” These verses along with the lyrics of this song rain down like a ton of bricks on the heart and soul of humanity. By that point in history, Hosea had witnessed two assassinations for the throne of Israel with Menahem then also destroying an entire city because it refused to accept him as king (2 Kings 15:8-16). In these verses, God shows us that man’s hunger for power and rule can lead to casual, nonchalant destruction, murder, and chaos. Only through His guidance and wisdom does one find the proper examples of leadership. Leadership through love, acceptance, peace, and humility.

Family Dysfunction.
Another look at the lyrics, leads us to a family that has been torn apart and destroyed by some sort of altercation. Stop and think about how many families have been ripped apart, not by violence or death, but instead by the things that are said, the actions of one or more individuals, and/or other voluntary and involuntary miscommunications within households and communities. What’s even more fascinating, is that lies, rumors, and slander have the same effect. Words that not only come from inside the family but often times come from outside of the family as well. Information picked up through the ‘grapevine’ that slivers its way into the dynamics of a family and the relationships within. In recent history, we’ve seen families, communities, and an entire body of people demonized and attacked because of the actions, inaction, or reactions of those directly and indirectly involved within the original altercation. We must NOT be so quick to judge (Matthew 7:1-5), NOT be so quick to react (James 1:19-20), and NOT give way to misinformation (Colossians 3:8). Instead focusing on the Love of our Lord, reciting the words from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 in your mind and conscience, “4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Then work towards communicating our frustrations and problems with one another, focusing instead on reparations rather than division and destruction.

A Call for Unity.
The Body of Christ is shattered, dismembered, and walking separately. We have become so caught up in doctrines, creeds, laws, and opinions on how it ‘should be done’ that we’ve missed out on the bigger picture. The simple fact that Christ’s blood, spilled and poured out for all humanity, covered those things. His resurrection and Spirit bring Freedom NOT Bondage. Use the lyrics of this song to visualize the Body of Believers. There are 206 bones in the human body. The smallest bone, the ossicles, is comprised of three parts and found in the inner ear while the largest bone, the femur, is the thighbone that connects your leg to your hips. What’s interesting about these two bones is their functions. Without the ossicles, we would not be able to hear properly, and without the femur, we could not walk. In a nutshell, the body requires these bones (although completely different) to work correctly, and in their proper position. Thus, allowing the body to function as created. The Body of Christ is no different. Our God has given each of us specific abilities, gifts, and strengths which are to be used together as ONE moving body (Romans 12:4-8). We should cherish that, knowing that each of us, as a body, need one another, and by working together as ONE, we may show and share with the world what it means to be valued and favored by our Lord (1 Corinthians 12:15-26). This means, it is TIME to put away our differences, instead embracing them. Embrace all races. Embrace all denominations and theologies that place Jesus Christ at the cornerstone of their faith. Embrace the white-collar worker, the blue-collar worker, the unemployed, and the disabled. Embrace the clean cut, clean shaven men and women. Embrace the men and women that are tattooed, pierced, and have colored hair. Embrace the country folk and city slickers. Embrace the educated and uneducated. Embrace the FULL Body of Christ. If we don’t, we will be ‘picking up the bones’ of Christianity and wondering what happened to our Faith. For as we saw in the ‘Elected’ post, Jesus’s words in Matthew 12:22-28 were clear, “…Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand…“

Wrapping up this week’s post, the month of February is dedicated to UNITY. As we saw in the ‘Spirits Rebellious‘ post, the enemy wants nothing more than to ‘tear us apart’. Not just personally – but even more so as a body. Stop and think about what the church and Christianity would look like if we were to set aside what divides us. Instead, together lifting up Christ, the one that unites us. One body working together to shelter and accept the abandoned. One body working together to heal the sick. One body working together to feed the hungry. One body working together to clothe the unclothed. One body working together to bring the Love of Christ to ALL peoples and ALL nations. (Philippians 2:1-5). AMEN.

ONE LAST NOTE: If we, as Christians, would work together in UNITY to correct the wrongs of society (i.e. providing shelter, food, medicine, clothes, etc) would we really even need words to preach the Gospel? Or would Christ’s Spirit radiate off of us just enough for others around us to see and want to know Him themselves? Something for us to think about.