Mustard Seed Thoughts #20

We are constantly bombarded by ‘not so good’ events or news. In such situations, our reaction is always ‘How can this happen?’ or ‘I have been expecting this all along’ or some other not so positive remarks. It is always easy to judge or jump to conclusions without first thinking about the reverse-what if it happened to me instead? A renowned journalist was interviewed on TV. The host asked him why he always wrote sensational stories about politicians. His reply was that stories of public figures and their scandals were sure winners. The public is always curious about rumours, bad publicities, scandals etc as though it is wishing for some unpleasant things to happen for those concerned. We tend to gloat at the misfortunes of others. We act like the Pharisees and think that we are alright while others are sinners. The spirit of judgment or condemnation is not God. The church should always be restorative and not punitive. If we wish to reach out to a world that is hurting and is full of mistakes and failures, we have to be as ‘one with them’.

In the Book of Nehemiah, the story opens with Nehemiah receiving news about the state and condition of his people and Jerusalem. The people had sinned terribly against God. Nehemiah was exiled and he served as a cupbearer to the Persian king. He heard about the state and plight of his people. Instead of judging them, he went into prayer for his people. (1) He reached out to God and he was grieved about their condition. Neh 1:4 “ When I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days. I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” He pleaded with God for His mercy in response to the prayer of His people.

(2) He related to the sins and wrongs of his people. Nehemiah identified himself as one of them. When we judge others, we separate ourselves from them as though we are pure while they are filthy. This kind of attitude only drives the chasm further. If we wish to reach others, we must empathize with their failures. “ Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted corruptly against You..” Neh 1:7. We are all sinners saved by grace. We have our own failures and struggles. We must walk in their shoes if we want to understand and to help.

(3) He repented for the sins of the entire community. “....for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of Israel which we have sinned against You.” Neh 1:6 When the Christian community is seen as having shamed our God, we feel embarrassed. We tend to point our fingers, single out the perpetrator and put the entire blame on him. Instead, we should accept the blame and shame with him as ‘members of the same body’. This body has done wrong against God. We must repent and seek God’s forgiveness. It is not he versus we but we are all in it together. Identification repentance is the only way to heal and to restore.

(4) Finally, Nehemiah resolved to act in order to rectify the wrong brought about by the sin. “ Lord let Your servant prosper this day I pray and grant him mercy in the sight of the king. “ Neh 1:11. He wanted to do something tangibly. It is always easy to judge. Many do not know how to do something to help the person or the situation. Nehemiah was not going to sit around and just talked. He decided that he was going to act and to help put things back in order again.

Nehemiah exemplifies a person who has a good attitude towards bad reports. How do we respond when we hear unpleasant stories about people and situations? Nehemiah took some definite actions to restore instead of judging. Jesus also identified with sinners and He gave His life to save them instead of condemning them.