It was Sunday, July 4th, late afternoon, when I left my house for an evening stroll. The neighborhood was quiet, many presumably at family BBQs or on their way to one of several fireworks displays. I circled the corner of a beautiful tree-lined street. A chorus of birds chirped and sang in the trees above as dusk slowly approached. Across the street, a small group of teenagers were congregating at the curb of a house, presumably owed by one of their parents. One of the teens, a young man, was animatedly reciting the Star-Spangled Banner. In a high-pitched mocking tone, he sang the words as the others laughed off the embarrassing display. Walking a little further, I passed the front of a house where a man, perhaps in his 60s or early 70s, stood in his doorway, glaring at the teens across the street, clearly highly offended.
As I continued on, I couldn’t stop thinking about the man in the doorway. Was he a veteran? Had he lost a son or daughter in Iraq or Afghanistan? Then I thought to myself, “Why doesn’t he saying something? Instead of standing there offended, why doesn’t he walk across the street and explain to the teens why their behavior is inappropriate? Perhaps tell them about the sacrifices that were made and the blood shed by fallen soldiers to secure our freedom?” After all, July 4th is a fitting day for a lesson in patriotism and these teens were clearly not dangerous or unruly – at best, they were uninformed, at worst, they were being obnoxious.
Then a scenario started to play out in my mind: perhaps he had tried to talk to them or others like them. Maybe he had spent years pleading with those around him to embrace the sobering truths of freedom and sacrifice, life and death. But they simply wouldn’t listen. And instead of respect and honor, they held only contempt and ridicule. Wouldn’t the man then be justified for his anger?
That’s when God showed me the parallel: I pictured God standing at the doorway of Heaven, tearfully remembering the sacrifice His Son made for us. As He looks out over the earth, what does God see? Thankfulness? Honor? Love? Or have we, like those teens, either in ignorance or blatant disregard, ignored the messages of sacrifice and freedom, of life and death? Therefore, is it not fair for the man on the street to ask, with tears in his eyes and righteous indignation in his heart, “Did our soldiers die for nothing?” Likewise, is it not fair for God in Heaven to ask, with tears in His eyes and righteous indignation in his heart, “Did Jesus die for nothing?”
If that man in the doorway is justified in his anger at a world that mocks the sacrifice of its fallen soldiers, won’t God be even more justified in His righteous anger against a world that mocks the ultimate sacrifice of very The Holy Son of God?
“They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head…[and] knelt before him in mockery and taunted, ‘Hail! King of the Jews!’ and they spit on him…and struck him…and led him away to be crucified.” Matthew 27:29-31 NLT
And during the final judgments on the earth, “they cursed the God of Heaven for their pains and sores but they did not repent of their evil deeds and return to God.” Revelation 16:11 NLT
As someone who used to view Christianity as a crutch and Revelation as fairy tales, I implore you, don’t be caught among the mockers! Instead, turn to Jesus who promises, “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.” Revelation 22:7 NLT
Shadia Hrichi
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WHY would anyone devote effort to justify anger? Christ came to Earth to teach us to love, to forgive and to witness his teachings to others. The author of this article forsake community, offering neither loving perspective to the teens nor comfort to the old man. None of that seems Christ-like to me. It seems to me that the author of this article is, in a sense, throwing the first stone, and perhaps even hoping that others will join him.
Well but I think it was clear that all of these perspectives were just speculation, not actually accusing anyone of those people of being angry or derogatory. And with Christ at the center of our hearts, in the very midst of our love for Him, we SHOULD get angry when there are mockers among us. Not at the mockers themselves, but at sin and at Satan.
It was just an example to draw a parallel. I think it would have been neat to actually hear the old man’s story. Maybe the next time we take that stroll in the evening, we’ll stop for a little chitchat with our unknown neighbor.