Our Refugee Brethren – Love in Action as Shown by Our Lord Jesus Christ
Some of our Brethren and Sisters are dwelling in refugee camps under conditions that we would not want for ourselves. There is shortage of food, and terrible diseases are a continuous threat, our sisters and young children exposed to every kind of horrible abuse, the young adults living in the corrupt environment which these conditions breed. Day by day this is their life, with parents grieving at their inability to provide for their children, some looking on helplessly as they see their offspring most likely being drawn away – their future, hopelessly uncertain. Their sordid plight should be included in our prayers also, whenever we observe the sacrificial love shown by Our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ in freeing us from our own hopeless sordid sinful condition.
Observe Jesus’ active and caring involvement and his disciples’ somewhat impersonal approach. Mark 6: 35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: 36 (The disciples’ solution) - Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. Vs.37 (Jesus’ solution) “.. Give ye them to eat. (The disciples) “.. Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?.... (Jesus’ action) 38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. When he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 42 And they did all eat, and were filled. Even though Jesus also saw the problem of providing for the people,, his concern was primarily for their welfare, hence his only solution was to look up, beyond their human limitation, to His Heavenly Father for the vital assistance, instead of just dismissing them.
A similar situation in Mark 8, 1 In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, (the situation) 2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: 3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. (On this occasion Jesus specifically drew his disciples’ attention to his concerns regarding the serious condition of the people, drawing attention to their hunger and impending results, thus revealing his personal feelings). 4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?( the disciples highlighting the problem instead )5 And he asked them, (examination) How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. …(Jesus’ solution) and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them….7 And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. 8 So they did eat, and were filled.. Observe Jesus’ human, caring touch - his compassion - as he directly dealt with the problem, compared with the disciples’ human logical approach.
We are aware of the day to day living condition of our brethren in the refugee camps, and their need to be removed from this situation. Some may even faint spiritually or otherwise, as a result of their suffering. For example, a brother, who lived in several camps for about ten years, disclosed to me that he could not have survived two more years under this condition if he and his family had not been resettled. Learning of Jesus’ compassion in such a situation and his dependence on his Father to take care of the problem, let us similarly think of the suffering of our brethren every day, and look to Our Heavenly Father in faith for the assistance he desires to provide us in their resettlement, putting our heads together in a determined effort in this operation.
Sis Esther Worrell (U.S.A.)
