A few years ago I was "surfing the net" and, well, ended up on some page that I could never find again. You know how that happens. It was interesting, though. You see, if you hadn't noticed already, I love asking questions and then finding answers. Probably drove my parents crazy. Anyway, the question I was asking at the time was, "Why is it that so many people hate the Jews...with no apparent reason?"
For the life of me, I couldn't put a finger on that one. It made absolutely no sense to me. So...I typed in that question on "Google" and found a bunch of silly answers. None of them rang true to me. I mean, I like "checking things out"...but that doesn't mean I automatically believe everything I hear or read. But sometimes we run across something that is actually true. The following story is an example.
When David was a young boy his family took a vacation. They stopped at all the tourist sites. One site stood out to David and the memory of it remains with him to this day.
Being a typical boy, David was excited to exit the car that he had been in for hours and visit the "tourist site" his family happened upon. It boasted of an underground cave, at one time used by miners. I can't remember how far down it went - just that it was very deep.
David enthusiastically sat in the minors car that was used by the tourist guide to take people to the depths of the cavern. When he got to the bottom, the guide turned off his flashlight which was the only source of illumination that the people had. He had explained to people that the cave was so deep that once you reached a certain depth...not even light could be found. Now, we think there is no light late at night or in a dark basement...but when our eyes "adjust" we can eventually see the vague shape of a hand in front of our faces. That's because there is at least a little bit of light available - via the moon or stars. Not so, in this cave. Absolutely no light reached it's depths.
The guide spoke in the inky blackness that surrounded the fascinated tourists. After having sat in the dark long enough for their eyes to adjust, the people were asked to put their hands in front of their faces. Not even a dim outline of a hand could be seen. Eventually, the guide told them to close their eyes as he was going to turn on his flashlight and the light of it would be painful to their eyes. He was quite serious. However, being a young daring boy, David wasn't about to miss this unique opportunity. He, of course, kept his eyes open...and was shocked to discover that the pain he experienced in his eyes was real. Yes, he recovered...but he never forgot.
Fast forward at least 30 years. David was now a pastor who was pondering the "Why do so many people hate the Jews question" when he remembered the vacation he took as a boy...and the cave.
In a flash of insight, David remembered all the scriptures in the Bible that refer to Jesus as the Light, and how darkness hates the light. The "Light" was a Jew who came from Israel.
Not all people hate the Jews. I don't. Many people don't. But is it possible that people who are in deep spiritual darkness find "light"...
Too Painful to Ignore?
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