I want to attempt to give voice to something deep in the soul of many Jewish people. It comes to the forefront when a person such as Osama bin Laden is killed. I might fumble and stumble over my words about this, but I will try to give a "primal groaning" to my thoughts.
My Jewishness screams out, "Yes, they nailed that mad man!" After all, bin Laden was a man who sought the destruction and elimination of every Jew on the planet, and of the nation of Israel as well (along with many other peoples). It is quite a bizarre feeling to be part of a people group who are so despised. It can cause havoc with your innards! Seriously.
The "problem" I have is that I follow Jesus, and he does not want me to remain with a "posture of persecution" (my quotation marks, not Jesus'!). That is something we Jews have mastered - we have been persecuted many, many times over the centuries and we know what it is to be victims of mad men and run-a-mok regimes.
I hide behind that cruel history, and rationalize my desire for vengeance. My friend Dan captured this in a comment he made a while ago: "too many of us have revenge in view with Bin Laden's death, rather than simply allowing our governments to pursue justice." Yes, that's where my heart goes - to revenge and vengeance.
So back to my dilemma about following Jesus. It's challenging to follow Jesus and to be his talmid (student) on my good days, let alone when I want revenge! His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount blows my away; quite honestly I am undone by his words when I relate them to the situation with someone like bin Laden.
In my own skin (flesh), I get a sick sense of satisfaction from the thought that bin Laden is burning in Hell. That's certainly not the attitude that Jesus wants us to have.
At the same time I don't want to have the pendulum of my heart swing to where some well-meaning people would - since God is "making all things new" that means ultimately people such as bin Laden will be saved. That does no justice to the biblical idea of judgement.
I am caught in my Jewishness sometimes, having a pity party over being a member of a persecuted people. My prayer is that God would supernaturally work in my heart so that I might somehow, in some ways live the words of Jesus in his sermon on the mount.
My Jewishness screams out, "Yes, they nailed that mad man!" After all, bin Laden was a man who sought the destruction and elimination of every Jew on the planet, and of the nation of Israel as well (along with many other peoples). It is quite a bizarre feeling to be part of a people group who are so despised. It can cause havoc with your innards! Seriously.
The "problem" I have is that I follow Jesus, and he does not want me to remain with a "posture of persecution" (my quotation marks, not Jesus'!). That is something we Jews have mastered - we have been persecuted many, many times over the centuries and we know what it is to be victims of mad men and run-a-mok regimes.
I hide behind that cruel history, and rationalize my desire for vengeance. My friend Dan captured this in a comment he made a while ago: "too many of us have revenge in view with Bin Laden's death, rather than simply allowing our governments to pursue justice." Yes, that's where my heart goes - to revenge and vengeance.
In my own skin (flesh), I get a sick sense of satisfaction from the thought that bin Laden is burning in Hell. That's certainly not the attitude that Jesus wants us to have.
At the same time I don't want to have the pendulum of my heart swing to where some well-meaning people would - since God is "making all things new" that means ultimately people such as bin Laden will be saved. That does no justice to the biblical idea of judgement.
I am caught in my Jewishness sometimes, having a pity party over being a member of a persecuted people. My prayer is that God would supernaturally work in my heart so that I might somehow, in some ways live the words of Jesus in his sermon on the mount.
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