Is the “Human experiment” done, Lord?
I have an American friend who used to be a priest. He quit after many years, convinced that he was not doing any good. He tried everything but could not make people care for each other. They were only doing whatever they could for themselves and not realizing that Christians can only win if they learn to “love one another.” One day my friend walked out and never came back. He lives now on his own in a modest home and says good words to those who suffer around him. Sometimes he even hugs dirty homeless people.
I was very depressed the other day. The equivalent of the old German Nazi party won a majority government in Brazil. The German Chancellor, who did so much good, announced retirement, and a white supremacist killed a number of old people in a place of worship, (again.) this time in Pittsburg. This together with a petulant President next door acting childishly towards us and everyone else, caused me to be depressed. I asked my friend why is God doing this. Here is his reply.
You ask, "What is God doing?" You are not, of course, the first to ask this. Yeshua said, "Why have you forsaken me?" Yeshua did not deserve to die. His death was a great injustice (to say the least), as were the deaths of the Kennedys and Dr. King. The Jews and gays in Nazi Germany must have asked the same thing, as did the Cathars, and the early Christians. The history of humanity is the history of great good and great evil trading places in the consciousness of the masses. But Yeshua said, "My kingdom is not of this world" ... and he meant it. I don't know, but it seems to me that heaven on this earth was never promised. The wheat is being separated from the chaff. And the weeds will be allowed to grow until separated at the harvest, lest by pulling weeds the wheat is pulled up also:
Matthew 13:24-30
The Parable of the Weeds
24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First, collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
The harvest is upon us. The pulling has begun. Evil has begotten evil. Injustice has begotten injustice. The falcon cannot hear the falconer. The center cannot hold. The very meaning of injustice is an assault upon the innocent - such as those who died in the synagogue. The grieving is done by those left behind who feel the loss of goodness in their lives. Yet, life is short for all, and one-day others will grieve for them after they, too, pass beyond the wickedness of this world. The good in this world misses the good in this world. The Devil never has the last laugh, although the opposite may appear temporarily true. Today's laughing is tomorrow's weeping and gnashing of teeth. The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.
I think that we should not let these evil acts get us down. There are many good people who inspire us still. And I am amazed, sometimes, by the sweetness and commitment of so many in this younger generation.
Again, I am listening to the music of 1968 (one of my favorite years for music). I am taken back to two assassinations of two good, compassionate men who fought for peace and justice. I am taken back to an attack by police on peaceful hippies just a few miles from my childhood home. I am reminded of riots all over the world as young people rejected the abuses of the Establishment. For a while after those turbulent times, there appeared to be a degree of peace as the forces of evil quietly built up their arsenals and technology and the good people went on vacation. Now we are returning to a house in shambles, infested by rats. But could we have ever stopped the evil?
But all of this, Avner, is nothing new. And so we thank God for our blessings, continue to add our voices to the other voices of sanity and love, and trust in God that ultimately goodness does prevail.
I've gone on an on. Sorry about that. I will say good-bye now.
Peace! Shalom!
As you can see, my friend didn’t quit his faith, only his method of spreading the faith. Next time I will ask him a new question. Is it necessary for God to let people destroy the world to separate the wheat from the weeds and have the good people in heaven? After all, we can make something close to heaven on this earth, as many people here in the Pass have done. I hate going away even for a short time.
I am sorry my friend that we can’t be a stronger influence on your people. We don’t all need to die for the wheat and weeds to be separated. We still have time to change our ways. Just let Americans be more like Canadians. Heaven is here, look over the 49th. Just look directly north, friend, and remember the Hebrew slaves who followed Mosses North.
No comments:
Post a Comment