Hostages

It is always good news when prisoners are set free.

The universal characteristic shared by all humanity is the anxiety felt when loved ones are in danger, and the absolute joy when families are reunited – Palestinian or Jew. Exquisite moments of embrace, tears, and laughter. In the sameness of it all, whether in Gaza or Jerusalem, we have to shake our heads at the death and destruction, the suffering and the enmity. So many, many, innocent people at the mercy of forces far bigger than them. It’s always that way.

Behind the scenes is where the power, the politics, and the agendas are hatched. Evil eggs of duplicity and alliances hidden from public view and seldom exposed to the light of day. That’s what makes solutions so hard to come by, because nothing is as it seems. What should be simple is muddied and complicated by those who utilize chaos and fear as camouflage.

Pull back the camouflage netting draped over Israel and the Palestinians and we’ll find the hallmarks of the superpowers everywhere. Simple solutions and peaceful co-existence could have been accomplished many years ago, but it’s not in the interests of others – who live far away and never have to experience the fruit of their manipulations. In this instance, the political Zionists and America formed a deadly alliance even before the state of Israel was initially formed. Billions of dollars have been poured into Israel because American interests in the Middle East are the motivating factor – oil, votes, money, and power. Probably every country in the world is somewhere behind the scenes stirring and meddling in a pot feeding its interests. There’s so much we don’t know.

And why are the Arab nations not doing the same for the Palestinians? Because they bring nothing to the table. They are the poor relatives, an irritant, that cause more trouble than they are worth. They have no oil, they do not have a diaspora of wealthy citizens around the world. Their last resort is to unite around a negative voiced by an extreme group who imprison their own – annihilate Israel. There’s so much more we don’t know.

Behind the scenes evil fuels and empowers, every time. How do we know? Because evil is always ugly, violent, selfish, self-serving, indifferent to suffering. It reeks like bad breath in the morning and doesn’t think twice about breathing in your face. Evil can’t hold a genuine smile or give a warm embrace. It awkwardly tries to pretend when held up for questioning. It’s veneer soon cracks, and if challenged its tolerance is paper thin. Evil plays the victim, hides behind the weak and innocent, and insists that the end justifies the means. Evil speaks loudly, shakes fists, threatens, and bullies.

In contrast, goodness and love have no desire to hide or exploit. The definition of love in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is well known.

 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. 

Sometimes people ask why God allows all this suffering and violence to continue? He seems so weak and indifferent. The answer is found behind the scenes.

God in Jesus, is the only leader, Creator, or spiritual power claiming the name of God, who when revealed in the person of Jesus, entered into the turmoil and writhing nest of evil – as one of us. Came into Gaza as it were, or Jerusalem. He’s already been there, and in Bethlehem, in the West Bank. And it didn’t go well.

Jesus life, death, and resurrection wasn’t about championing the Jews or Gentiles, or even vilifying the Romans. It was about fighting the hidden agenda, the superpower slinking like a snake through the darkness speaking lies and corrupting the minds of those who hunger and thirst for power. Everyone was held prisoner in a world where it was the survival of the fittest, the influence of the rich, and the survival of the most cunning and compromising. The vast majority were hostages with no hope of escape or a brighter future. A dog eat dog world – (reverse the spelling of dog to find hope). Evil always takes the beautiful elements of God and reverses them.

Death is evil’s ultimate threat, and weapon. The resurrection of Jesus was the coup de grace to evil, breaking it’s vice grip on humanity and opening the door to freedom, renewed identity, and hope. Such is the cunning nature of evil that many fail to even recognize they are hostages. The irony is that while evil insists on free will being oppressed, Jesus offers freedom with no strings attached. We are free to respond and make our own choices whether to receive his offer or leave it. As the old saying goes: he suffered for everything we deserved so that we could receive all that he deserved.

God’s grace and love continues to set unwitting hostages free. What is transpiring in the Middle East is repugnant to him, as are the words both sides voice as they attempt to justify their atrocities, “May God be with us!” Evil calling on God is like applying lipstick to a pig. That’s why naming something Christian is not enough. Too much evil is carried out even in the name of Jesus. Religion is invariably evil dressed up in scripture and rules. Jesus is relational and personal. The litmus test to all words uttered in his name are discerned in the actions that follow. Love is the presence and aroma of Jesus: sacrifice, mercy, generosity, and kindness, are trademarks of his character.

Jesus is the only hope for evil in all its forms to be defeated. And where Jesus is denied, evil will continue to bomb, imprison, and hold hostage.

I was held hostage to evil and I never knew it. Something nagged within, from a very young age, almost like a hungry orphan sniffing the aroma of bread but not knowing where to find it. In my teenage years, in a youth group, the bread was revealed….. “Taste and see, God is good.” I was insecure, felt quite alone, and had little sense of direction, or even love for that matter. When encountered by Jesus I discovered unconditional love, wisdom to guide me through life, encouragement to grow, a community in which to belong, and meaning and purpose I’d never been aware of before. The world was still violent and chaotic, but Jesus helped make sense of the big picture while attending to even the smallest detail of my life. There are many times the snake has attempted to take me hostage again. But I have discovered that his threats shrink as soon as I draw close to Jesus and his Cross, a power not my own. The snake is defeated and terrified when he knows that I know.

As it is true for the individual, so is it true for the nations. When Jesus is invited behind the scenes, everything changes. Want a hopeful Christmas in a frightening world? Dig beneath the tinsel and discover the real Jesus, let him take you from there. 🙂