In my post yesterday I said one of the things I like about President Obama’s speech is that he went to Muslims. He met them where they are, rather than simply waiting for Muslims to come to him. This is really significant for me.
One of the premises of this blog is that we cannot love people we do not know. As a follower of Jesus Christ I want to obey all that he commanded and he commands us to “love our neighbor as we love ourselves” (Matthew 22:39). Muslims are our neighbors and therefore we are commanded to love them as we love ourselves. But to do this, we must know them.
Imagine I move into a new neighborhood. The Jones family on one side of my house is just like me (for the most part), but the Hussein family on the other side is very different. What if I never talk to the Husseins? Instead I go the Jones’ house and ask them questions about the Husseins (What does Mr. Hussein do? How old are their kids? What do they think of the neighborhood? Etc.). Can I really obey the Messiah’s command if I don’t go to the Hussein’s house? Love requires that I go and meet them where they are. If I am to love Muslims I can’t just ask other Christians what Muslims believe and what they are like.
For me the greatest example of this is God. Of course he already knows us completely so he doesn’t have to get to know us. But neither does he have to meet us where we are. He created us and can do with us as he pleases. And since we have all rebelled against him by disobeying him he has no obligation to do us any good. Yet he comes. We see him come by revealing his words to the prophets. He came to Moses by speaking through the burning bush.
Ultimately, we Christians believe that he came in the flesh by sending his Son, Jesus Christ.* This is the point of the Bible’s most famous verse, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
So I take seriously the Messiah’s words in John 17:18. Praying to God, he said, “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them [his disciples] into the world.” Jesus Christ didn’t stay away from those different from him. He went to them and loved them. I want to be like him. I hope you do too.
* I know that my Muslim friends do not believe Jesus is the Son of God. I will address this title in a future post. For now, I will just affirm with all my heart what every Muslim believes – God did NOT have sex with Mary and produce a child. Such thoughts are blasphemy!
Thanks Dustin for sharing your thoughts on Obama’s speech. I was curious about whay you and/or David Cross would think about his speech and the fact that he went to Egypt. I look forward to reading more!
Thanks for this logical addressing. It is first time i hear someone from the west being fair with the real religion which is called Islam. It is really nice from you to try to get to know to our religion more and see the real love in it. We love Jesus cause he is one of the Prophets. We love mary mother of Jesus, and there is a whole verse in Quran about her.
Thanks again,
Bashar,
Sorry, forget to tell you that I got your website from my cousin Fayzeh in US.
Regards,
Thanks Bashar. I am glad that you are reading and willing to comment. My hope is that many Christians and Muslims will comment and we will help each other grow in understanding one another. But that can’t happen if I’m the only one who writes!
Blessings,
Dustin