Grace Community Christian Church

 

Archived Things Above

Malatya Massacre (5/31/07)

On April 18 of this year, five Muslims entered a Christian publishing company in the southeastern province of Malatya, Turkey, & brutally killed three Christian workers. Two of the victims were Turkish converts from Islam, & the third was a German citizen who had lived in Turkey for ten years. News reports said four of the attackers admitted that the killings were motivated by both "nationalist & religious feelings." (You can read a detailed account at the Voice of the Martyrs website, www.persecution.com)

What struck me most as I read the article, submitted by a church in Turkey, was the response of the victims' families:

In an act that hit front pages in the largest newspapers in Turkey, widow Susanne Geske in a television interview expressed her forgiveness. She did not want revenge, she told reporters. "Oh God, forgive them for they know not what they do," she said, wholeheartedly agreeing with the words of Christ on Calvary (Luke 23:34).

In a country where blood-for-blood revenge is as normal as breathing, many, many reports have come to the attention of the church of how her comment has changed lives. One columnist wrote, "She said in one sentence what one-thousand missionaries in one-thousand years could never do."

You know that I am fond of saying, "All God has ever wanted is a people who would reflect his character." A people who would counter-intuitively respond to their own sinfulness & the sins of others with humility & grace. Jesus put it this way:

"Here's another old saying that deserves a second look: 'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.' Is that going to get us anywhere? Here's what I propose: 'Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best-the sun to warm and the rain to nourish-to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you." Matthew 5:38-48 (Message)

I like that line, "Live out your God-created identity." And Jesus didn't just preach this stuff, he lived it out:

"This is the kind of life you've been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step. He never did one thing wrong, Not once said anything amiss. They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you're named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls." (1 Peter 2:21-25, Message)

What will it take to convince the Muslim world that Jesus Christ is King of all? Or to convince your skeptical co-worker or relative or neighbor? Bombs & bullets? Tit for tat? Aggression & alliances? Point & counter-point? Books & tapes? Debates & arguments? Likely, none of these. But very likely? Absorbing an injustice with grace & joyful expectation that the God who indwells you & lives for you has never, & will never, be dethroned.

We're being watched. Not to see if we're perfect, nobody expects that from us. But to see if we're real. To see how we respond when we mess up. Do we own it, or deflect or excuse it? Or when we're hurt or disappointed or maligned. Do we release it to God, or stubbornly hang on to anger & resentment & bitterness & revenge? Then, & possibly only then, do we have the opportunity to accomplish more in one sentence than a thousand missionaries could do in a thousand years.

Hidden with Christ,


Jim Dewar --