Wednesday, April 3, 2019

“The Lord replies, ‘I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.’” (Psalm 12:5, New Living Translation) 

[Missed last week because Susan and I spent 4 wonderful days looking after our one-year old grandson Declan in Waterloo while his Mom and Dad went on a little trip. Fantastic time!] 

                “The following program has violence. Viewer discretion is advised.”

                You might think that I was watching a crime show or a horror movie or a war movie or the World Wrestling Federation.

                But I wasn’t.

                I was watching the first two episodes of a History Channel program about Jesus. You know – the Prince of Peace. The non-violent epitome of shalom and grace. The one who said to love your enemies and turn your other cheek.  The one who told Peter to put his sword away when his arresters came for him. The one who reached out to enemy Roman soldiers. The one whose whole demeanor was for peace, healing, love and understanding. These were some of the principles by which he lived his life, taught, and made passionate pleas for others to do the same. Peace, not violence, is written all over his ministry.

                But there it was – a warning about the violence that this story contained. Viewer, beware!

                There is no denying that the Bible has more than its fair share of violence, genocides, persecutions, wars, murders, and the like. But at first glance, it seems to me to be ironic, at least, that I need to be warned about violence in watching a show about Jesus.

                Each episode tells the integrated Gospels’ story of Jesus though a character who experienced Jesus in some way, e.g. Jesus’ father, Joseph, John the Baptist, Mary, etc. The story is dramatically re-enacted, interspersed by commentary from scholars and pastors.  The story is told simply but mostly without the usual pietistic and even saccharine overtones that often come with such portrayals of biblical characters. Of course, it does have its own interpretative values, slightly on the conservative or orthodoxic side, but it’s not intrusive by my measure.

                And every episode comes with its warning about violence.

                The actual scenes of violence are somewhat tame by modern standards of everything else we can see on TV, on the news or  at the movies.  But it is there nonetheless – Herod’s  jealous rage and massacre of the Bethlehem children, the brutality of Roman power, the beheading of John the Baptist and of, course, the Crucifixion itself including the torture, whippings and mockery that led up to the event of Jesus being nailed on the cross. Violent! Very violent!

                Sadly, the world is still a very violent place for many people. Recently, I have been watching news’ essays on the violence in Honduras, especially  by unchecked gang violence with their extortion and murders. It is a very violent country, among the worst in the world. Small wonder the people are fleeing to find safe places to live and raise families.

                But you don’t have to travel to Honduras to experience violence. It’s found on our own city streets far too often and far too much. Gun violence. Extremism. Terrorism. Domestic violence or murder. As much as we might like to, we can’t close our eyes to this violence or hide from it.

                Our text states that God has seen the violence that is destroying his good Creation and is not pleased. God’s heart goes out to those who are oppressed and affected by violence, especially the poor. God seeks to protect and rescue those who face this terrible violence. But I would argue that God also needs our participation in the peace -making processes which are needed to stem this tide of violence in  our world. “And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:18, NLT), echoing, of course, Jesus’ words, “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5: 9)

                Violence tried its best to destroy the mission of Jesus which was to inaugurate a whole new Creation full of Love, Peace, Mercy and Justice and to hold accountable those who used power to violently distort God’s world. Therefore, each of us needs to do our own peace-making in our little corners of the world and pray that it spreads.

                Shalom, everyone shalom!

Dale