I saw some good bumper sticker wisdom this week on a truck which pulled out in front of me. This may not be an exact quote because I didn't write it down right away and may not be remembering correctly, but it was something along the lines of, "When Jesus said to love your enemies, I'm pretty sure he didn't mean kill them." That's about as straightforward and to the point as it gets.
I find it fascinating how some Christians have taken an opposite stand to that teaching, especially when it comes to the alleged threat that "Muslims are trying to destroy our way of life." Jesus, the reasoning goes, would never approve of us standing idly by and letting that happen. But there's a story in scripture which is a perfect illustration, it would seem, as to why believers should not condone that line of thinking.
In Luke chapter nine, we read, "When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, 'Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?' But He turned and rebuked them, and said, 'You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.' " (verses 51-56)
The Samaritans of the New Testament were, basically, ancestors of the Muslims of today. In this story, they did not want Jesus in their village, and the logical conclusion is because of their religious differences. (Samaritans were not Jews, and Jesus "was traveling toward Jerusalem," indicating he was a Jew). James and John were insulted and outraged by the Samaritans' rejection of Jesus; they evidently thought God was "on their side," and would be willing to destroy the village with fire from above. (An interesting parallel to modern weaponry, wouldn't you say?)
But Jesus set them straight. He did not bring a message of destruction or division. He brought a message of salvation and peace, and he apparently was not threatened by the mindset of the Samaritans. The spirit displayed by James and John seems to be the guiding principle behind much of what is happening in the Middle East right now, but the Word seems fairly clear on this matter; a spirit of destruction is not the spirit of Jesus.
Sister Terry, yes, it's the Ozark Uncle. He resolved yesterday to make a bee line toward your Sunday morning post this morning--something he has not done for several weeks. Charles Hedrick, retired MSU Religious Studies professor, once wrote a guest editorial for the newspaper saying that we define what God is, and God changes as our view of her changes. (Well, Charlie's hate mail doubled that particular week with assertions that "God Never Changes, Damn It!"). WWJD is a litmus test that the Ozark Uncle favors--yet he's in a mental state these days of almost complete resignation--the battle for Jesus is lost at the moment. Jesus has been redefined by the current American culture to be almost unrecognizable. Even as a Jesus lover but Bible disbeliever, the Ozark Uncle foresees him rising again before this century ends. He has so many answers for everyone.
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