Newspaper - Words for Sunday 9 July 2023

21/07/23 10:15

Eine Antwort auf die Frage: Warum?

An Answer to the Question: Why?

Randall Smelser, Preacher
Christusgemeinde Peine-Stederdorf

Small children love to ask “why”. This question is actually a good question for adults also but quite often we do not ask it anymore and just accept everything that we constantly hear. Sometimes that can be positive and sometimes negative. Racism and intolerance are a world-wide problem. One could say that they are the norm for humanity world-wide. Thus one could ask, “why should we be against racism and intolerance?” Or maybe “Why more than apathetic and passive?”
If someone follows Jesus, one has the answer to this “Why?”. In John 4 we read a story about an encounter between Jesus and a woman. She was socially ostracized and from a hated people-group. And no good Jew would talk with a strange woman. Then there was the question of morality. She had been married 5 times and was at that moment living with another man, who she was not married to. On top of that, she was from the wrong religion. Common sense would have been screaming: “NO, NO, NO, stay away from that woman!” Jesus spoke with her and showed her a way out of her problematic lifestyle. He was not apathetic. He did neither simply accepted nor agreed with everything she believed. Tolerance does not mean apathy nor think everything is just fine; instead it is to approach people, who are problematic, with love.
Why should I listen to someone who thinks differently than I or not just reject them? Because Jesus met these people with love – and I follow Him. Why should I be tolerant and at the same time maintain my own beliefs? Because Jesus did that! Why should I not ignore or overlook people? Because Jesus cherished people! When others are racist, why should I act differently? Because Jesus loved even the hated Samarians! Jesus is my role model and my teacher. He gives me basic principles and the answer to the “Why?”.