2013-06-20
Daniel Daring 2013
articles
2012 articles
13th
Sunday: Know
the spirit you are of
1 Kings 19:16,
19-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-18; Luke 9:51-62
“Here, then, is the problem which we present to you, stark and dreadful and inescapable: shall we put an end to the human race; or shall mankind renounce war?” This rhetorical question was raised in 1955 by Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein in view of a new type of atomic weapon being tested, known as H- or thermo-nuclear bomb, which – if used - could obliterate an entire city of the size of Manila, Tokyo or Beijing.
At
the beginning of 2007, the Bush Administration announced its plan to develop a
new hydrogen bomb, and on a recent trip to Europe, Mr. Bush again spoke
about his plan to install “a missile defense system” in Eastern Europe
(Poland and Czech Republic) in order to protect the U.S. and its closest allies
from an allegedly Iranian missile attack. (It is taken for granted that Iran,
unlike the U.S., does not have any nuclear weapons). As an answer, the Russians
have recently tested successfully a new ballistic missile. Are we drawing closer
to another catastrophic experience of ‘fire from heaven’ like that of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
Fire
from heaven
Jesus’
disciples, enraged by the lack of hospitality shown to Him in a Samaritan
village, were about to call “fire down from heaven” to destroy it (Luke
9:54). How childish, how stupid, and yet how common! Since the invention of
bombs, rockets, missiles and planes, fire has begun to fall from heaven bringing
death and destruction. We seem to believe that the only way to settle our
quarrels is to wage war, and this action is always justified by a ‘higher
cause,’ or by a claim of a ‘divine mandate’. (Germans soldiers in WWII had
on their buckles the inscription, ‘Got mit uns,’ – God with us; the atomic
bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were used to avoid the sacrifice of American
lives). We also seem to believe that the only way towards peace is victory
over our enemies: when they are dead, we can rest in peace. However, calling
fire down from heaven is not any more a viable option for humanity. We are on
the verge of experiencing the tragic truth of Jesus’ words: “all who draw
the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). In a nuclear conflict we all
are going to rest in peace.
Know
what kind of spirit you are of
Russell and Einstein continue their appeal by stating: “remember your humanity, and forget the rest.” They call us to focus on what unites, and stop quarreling about the things that divide us, be it religion, ethnicity, nationality, or something else. However, I think that Jesus goes much farther. After rebuking his disciples for their foolish request, He says: “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy people’s lives, but to save them” (Luke 9:56 - in some texts). There is no place for violence in Christianity. Paul – the violent Jewish Pharisee – was able to grasp this truth after his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19). In his letter to Galatians, he states that any kind of violence leads to destruction (Gal 5:15).
The first Christians translated this truth into a concrete action of refusing to join military service. Tertulian (155-230 C.E.) considered it as a forbidden profession; Lactantius (240-320 C.E.) stated that “it can never be lawful for a righteous man to go to war;” and Irenaeus (2nd century) wrote that Christians “have changed their swords and their lances into instruments of peace, and they do not know how to fight.” Some of them had to pay with their lives for that stand. During his trial, Maximilian of Thebeste issupposed to have said: ‘I am a Christian, and cannot fight.’ He was martyred around the year 300 C.E.
Shall
we try this? What would happen if suddenly all Christians said that they could
not fight? I guess, all military chaplains would be left jobless, and all inspiring
books that propagate spirituality of ‘Christian warfare’ would disappear
from the market. It could spark an economic crisis and lead to the end of the
present civilization. However, it could also signify the beginning of the
messianic era spoken of by prophet Isaiah: “Nation will not take up sword
against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).
Conclusion
According
to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (June 11, 2007)
there are more than 26,000 nuclear warheads in the world and the world military
expenditure is on the rise with the USA ($528.7 billion in 2005) and China
($49.5 billion in 2005) leading the way. Perhaps it is time to rethink the
ancient practice of the first Christians in regards to war; perhaps, it is time
to remind ourselves of the spirit we are of. Let us stop calling ‘fire from
heaven,’ and begin saving people’s lives.