Responding to Hate
Yesterday, another senseless act of terrorism took the lives of commuters and travelers in Brussels.
How many of these attacks will there be before they come to an end? And what will bring about that end?
But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. - Mark 12:7-9
In today's reading, Jesus uses a parable to shed light on the selfishness of others. While the situation is very different, the indifference to life is the same.
And in a way, the goal of the terrorists is similar. They seek to claim something that is not theirs as their own.
The fear they create drives people from their homes and keeps others from living their lives as they desire. Are they any less selfish than the tenants in the parable?
If we were other tenants working in the fields beside those in the parable, would we have stood by and watched in horror, or would we have done something?
That is the question that lingers in my mind this morning. What is it we should be doing? Is going about our lives enough?
It is hard to seek peace, express love for our enemies, and yet watch as more atrocities take place. So, I pray for wisdom and guidance.
I pray that the senselessness ends, yet I know there is something I need to be doing to stop it.
I don;t think we can find safety in hiding in our rooms. We need to respond.
Do you agree?
What, then should our response be?
More to come...