I have, and I’m sure you have seen the tragic news about Muslims killed in Christchurch New Zealand. The initial response was of sadness over the evil that had taken so many lives, but then articles started popping up on social media about the horrific slaying of hundreds of Christians at the hands of Muslims in Nigeria. The empathy and sadness over the horror in New Zealand was replaced by anger. As a Christian and pastor, this saddened me. Listen, Christian, we are commanded to weep with those who weep, we are also told that we should expect persecution, just because it hasn’t happened here in our country to a large extent doesn’t mean that it isn’t happening to our brothers and sisters around the globe. Now, I don’t want to minimize any of the suffering that is happening or sweep it under the rug or make it seem like any of this violence is ok. What I do want to draw attention to is that we cannot minimize the suffering of those in New Zealand, because of what is happening in Nigeria. Both tragedies should make us fall to our knees and weep for the evil in this world.
I want to suggest that we use these tragedies to awaken our witness to the world. We should call for justice in Nigeria, and we should call for justice in New Zealand. How we do those two things should be done so well and with such empathy that the gospel of Jesus Christ gains an audience. Remember, every human being is made in the image of God Almighty and has worth and value in God’s eyes. In Romans 12 we read about marks of a true Christian.R
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Romans 12:15 ESV
We need to weep
Christian, every time something horrific like this happens, we need to weep with those who are weeping. There is no qualification in the chapter about who we weep with. There are instructions about starting with the body of Christ, but we still provide comfort for those who are outside the faith. Tragedy should never be turned into a competition, and it looks even worse on us when we become the angry, red-faced guy shouting on social media that the world isn’t fair. We know the world isn’t fair, Jesus told us that.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. (19) If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (20) Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
John 15:18-20 ESV
Empathize with Those Under Persecution
The world hated Jesus, and He was way more likeable than I am. So why would I expect the world to treat me any better? It is imperative for us to cast light on what our brothers and sisters in Nigeria are going through, but let’s do it in a way that allows people to empathize with those under persecution. If we immediately start comparing coverage, the world will build walls. My job, and yours is to share the love of Christ with the world so that the world will repent and love Jesus…even in persecution. It is completely acceptable and encouraged to write well thought out letters to our government asking them to step in. Use this as an opportunity to share Christ’s love with those who are hurting and remember to weep with those Muslim families who have lost loved ones and weep with those Christian families who have lost loved ones. But, also rejoice that those Christian families will see their loved ones again in eternity!
Pastor Jonathan Welch
