What About “Them”!

It is July 1st, and hot on it’s skipping heels bounces July 4th; celebrations for Canada and the United States. Traditional national holidays to rejoice together in the respective identities and values the nations cherish. Most of all freedom, opportunity, and a safe haven. This year feels less innocent, not so much taken for granted, a creeping awareness that those good ideals require protection, advocacy, and a constant reaffirmation to avoid erosion.

And as we celebrate these national holidays in North America in 2025 it is impossible to ignore the plight of those who are currently embroiled in fighting for their very survival. Top of the list is Ukraine and Palestine. I admit it. I’ve become radicalized. I’m no longer interested in defending Israel’s motives or even remotely seeking to explore Putin’s psyche. Trump is the third of the duplicitous triumvirate spewing cruelty and hate. I’m not interested in rhetoric, excuses, justifications, blame, or anything else. All that matters to me is that nothing can possibly justify the wars, the killings, the cruelty that is being meted out in the name of ? God only knows. If this doesn’t make us furious I guess nothing will.

And as we sing our anthems and wave our flags this July, what about them? Nightly bombings in Ukraine, daily killing of women and children in Gaza. So that Israel can ‘be secure’ and Putin can build an empire on the sand of his warped fantasies of grandeur? And where are the Christian leaders? Why don’t we hear their voices calling the nations to repentance, searing consciences with the injustices, reminding us of a better way to find peace and build security for all? Of truth and values that transcend political affiliations and tribal allegiances. It’s as if we’re witnessing another holocaust and brazenly enjoying picnics outside the barbed wire fences, completely deaf and dumb to the plight of those with nowhere to run. Where is the outrage?

The tendency of many Christians is to live in the Old Testament when speaking of these matters. It’s a more violent and ugly place where one can sew together theologies that will somehow justify harsh and cruel measures against another. But it’s a false narrative, a slight of hand. We cannot ignore the person and revelation of Jesus, who was a radically different Jew. He refused to bow the knee. Neither did he bury his head in spiritual sand or hold his tongue when confronted with evil, injustice, religious duplicity, and the exploitation of any human, no matter what gender or tribe.

Today the story of the Good Samaritan would undoubtedly be about a Jew, beaten by thieves and left at the side of the road. A Palestinian would stop and tend to his wounds, pay for his care, and ensure his full recovery. Such was the emotional and political impact of describing a Samaritan as ‘good’ in his day. Or consider Jesus’ outrage at religious leaders who loved their wealth, their comfort, their power, and their status. They are recorded in his ‘Seven Woes’ directed at the leaders of his day in Matthew Chapter 23. Does it resonate relevant, or familiar? Sweet baby Jesus does not sound so meek and mild here, precisely because he loves and cares enough to be stirred by the wrongness of it all, A few excerpts:

 Observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.

They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger

They love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats.

 The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.

You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

You are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.  So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town.

But it is not just the leaders, it’s all of us.

Jesus spent three years reaching out to individuals like you and me. Challenging, loving, healing, confronting, modelling, and calling us to understand the meaning and purpose of our lives. To recognize the hand of God in the midst of all and to know that light will always overcome darkness. The leaders we have, and the troubles we experience are rooted in the soil of our cultures, our shared responses and tolerances over time.

To understand this better, take thirty minutes to listen to Noam Chomsky offer a wise and insightful observation of what is happening in our day, why, and how to respond.