“In the competition for pain, no one wins”
That quote comes from a mother of one of the hostages being held in Gaza. I was particularly struck by it because its a message we need to hear. There is no absence of commentary about the terrible war happening in Israel and Gaza right now; and yet that commentary consistently ignores the individual suffering humans are feeling on both sides of the conflict.
All over social media and public discourse people cry out about the violence - the loss of life - the tragedy. They want to hold someone accountable. They want an easy answer to who is “the bad guy.” In this it is tempting to get caught up in body counts and numbers. 1400 dead vs 3000 dead. 5000. How many hostages is too many hostages? How many babies really died? How did they die? We also are surrounded by misinformation, disinformation and incomplete information, coming quickly.
It’s not to say there isn’t a good reason for it. We want to understand and hold those who need to be held accountable. We want an explanation for all this pain and suffering.
But that mother’s words are true. There is so much pain right now, and those feeling it are not feeling it in comparison to others pain.
As you hear and read conversations about solidarity, solidarity with Palestinians, with Israelis, with Gaza, with those hurting there and those hurting here, I want you to take a moment to think about what Jesus is calling us to do. We want to be in solidarity with those who feel anguish, fear, pain.
Let me offer some advice around solidarity. Don’t seek to be in solidarity with a government, an institution, a political party, an ideal. No. Instead seek solidarity with the grieving parents. The husbands and wives missing their spouses. The friends missing their classmates. The thousands of people suffering through violence and trauma whether they speak Arabic or Hebrew or both.
They need your prayers, each and every one of them. And we need to pray for each other as well, that we resist the urge to dehumanize those with whom we don’t agree, whether over the situation happening in the Middle East or the situations we face here.
They need your solidarity. Your prayers. Your love.
They need to know that while they may be surrounded by empty chairs and empty tables, they have a great cloud of witnesses supporting them. Who desire real peace, real justice, real change.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to remember that
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
At Yad Veshem, the Holocaust memorial in Israel there is a garden dedicated to the sacrifice of the righteous Gentiles (that is non Jews who helped save lives). A monument to solidarity with the Jewish people during the Holocaust.
None of those memorialized are there for aggressive Facebook posts, or for any things they said. But things they did. They aren’t there for how much they hated the enemy, but for how generous and compassionate they were to those who suffered. They are not there for how many bad people they killed, but for how many humans they saved.
THAT is solidarity.
A horrible tragic war is unfolding before us. The casualties are high. They will get higher. As you seek to offer solidarity at this moment, consider the righteous gentile. Consider how you can be a part of supporting the living, saving the innocent, and healing Division.