Thought for Today
Genesis 4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out to the field." And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.
Proverbs 3:29 Do not plan harm against your neighbor who lives trustingly beside you. Mark 3:24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
Mark begins his gospel with stories about John the Baptist. John baptized Jesus. After John’s arrest, Jesus appears “Mark 1:14 proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." Yesterday, I asked, “Is there much love evident in the daily news with which we are bombarded?” I answered myself with a resounding ‘NO!”
This morning, listening to the news about the tragedy in Kansas City, I find myself again thinking about love and the kingdom of God being near. I do believe the Kingdom of God is emerging. I believe that emergence began with the Incarnation of Christ and is ongoing all around us.
Regrettably, at least in our own country, I also see the emergence of a new continental divide. Not a geographic, geological divide but a cultural divide. Not a divide along mountain peaks, but a chasm, an abyss dividing people. It is a chasm of hate and violence. How did we ever become a society where mass shootings and gun violence could be imagined as solutions to any disagreement?
The news reports today are suggesting that authorities believe the incident in Kansas City to have arisen from an argument that got out of control. They may be correct. The greater question seems to me to be, why was anyone other than law enforcement personnel carrying a weapon? Why would anyone attend a celebratory event carrying a firearm? Equally, why would anyone ever enter a school carrying a firearm? Maybe, the questions are merely extensions of the question of why Cain ever imagined that killing Abel might make Cain’s sacrifice more acceptable to God.
I am not opposed to arguments and disagreements. They seem to me to be a fundamental aspect of how God created humanity. Good people, Christians and others, can examine the same data, review the same ideas and events and come to diametrically opposed conclusions. But, somehow, we seem to have forgotten the rest of Cain’s story. Cain was cursed; Cain went away from the Lord and dwelled in a foreign land. Violence was not the solution to Cain’s problem; violence is not the solution to the problems we face in our societies today.
It does seem to be a recurring issue for Christians throughout Christendom. During the mid-decades of the 20th century, Christians were faced with the rampant evil of fascism. My own theological hero, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, struggled with the morality of plotting to assassinate Adolph Hitler.
Every human, every Christian is faced at times with problems. Sometimes violence, even killing, may present itself as a possible solution. Even one of Christ’s disciples, Simon the Zealot, was faced with the issue. The Zealots were committed to the violent expulsion of the Roman occupation. Simon chose to remain a disciple, even after the Crucifixion. Violence was not the solution.
Listen to the political discourse in our nation. Watch and/or read the news reports of our civil dialogue. Ask yourself, ‘how civil, how civilized is any of what we hear?’ Rodney King famously asked, “Why can’t we all just get along?” That question echoes in my mind today. That question echoes in my mind as I listen to almost every political speech, every campaign oration. How can violence, how can murder, how can misogyny be a better solution to anything than simply sitting down together and talking about our problems? How can cutting off our noses to spite our faces be better than compromising when we disagree?
Jesus commands us “Matthew 5:39 Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” No one ever said that being a Christian is easy.
Stay safe, love your neighbors, trust God,
Pastor Ray