Human Shields and Easter
Thomas has the heart of a hero, and so many of our conversations (and theology) center around things involving heroes. We've talked long and hard about how superheroes embody the things we want for him: they think of others, they put their own interests and safety aside to protect those who can't protect themselves. I can't think of a more perfect example, for a little boy, of the Christian faith. The other day we dove into another discussion about superheroes.
"Mom, superheroes have to fight to protect people, so it should be OK for me to fight. What do we do about fighting?"
"Let me tell you what I think a Christian should do about fighting. We do have a responsibility to protect others, you're right. And I think when someone is being picked on or someone is fighting, we need to do everything we can by talking to get them to stop. We do everything we can. If that doesn't work to stop them, then we need to find someone in authority to tell--a teacher, a parent, the police. But sometimes, talking doesn't stop that person. Then, we do have a responsibility to act. There were times in the Bible when God told his people to fight. And, even in our time, sometimes it comes to that. There was a war a long time ago. A group of people were being picked on, and a lot of people in the world fought to protect them. They tried talking. They tried everything they could to stop them without fighting, but in the end, they had to fight to protect those people.
"But, Thomas, fighting doesn't always mean hitting or kicking or hurting the other person. Sometimes the best way to protect someone is to put yourself between them and the person hurting them. Do you know who does that better than anyone I know? Cora! When you're pretending to attack me, she puts her little body between us, spreads out her arms and shouts, 'You don't hurt my Momma!' She stays there, protecting me, until you stop [he laughed and couldn't believe his little sister was a hero].
"Sometimes the best thing we can do is just to put our bodies between two people, to block the person being hurt, and to say, 'I won't let you do this to them.' There are people around the world who do this. Not long ago, some people were trying to hurt another group of people. Other Christians wanted to help, but instead of fighting, they went and stood around the people being hurt. They stood in a circle around them and kept them safe, but they never fought back. Thomas, isn't that what Jesus did for us? He put his body between us and our enemy. He took all of the attack, he blocked us, and kept us safe."
He strode into preschool that morning, rehearsing over and over what he would do if any of his friends were picked on that day. We were almost to the door when he stopped short in his tracks.
"But, Mom, if my friends are fighting and I step between them--what if they hurt me?"
I swallowed a lump. Here it was.
"They might. They really might, son. Those people I told you about? A lot of them did get hurt. But they knew it was more important to protect someone who couldn't protect himself. And what about Jesus? He put his body between us, and he was badly hurt. Thomas, he died. But it was the only way to protect us."
He shook as he went down the stairs, but he lifted his little chin and marched right into the class room. I called Micah when I got home and told him about the conversation. We always shake our heads after these talks and wonder what the future holds for this little son. Even if all these discussions do is teach him to stand up for a classmate, we will have gotten through. After a couple of hours, I went to pick Thomas up. He was beaming.
"Mom! I did it. I did what we talked about! My friends were fighting and I told them they should stop. Then I stood up between them. It worked, Mom!"
It was a little preschool-sized lesson, and taken at face value it wasn't a big moment. But what a poignant conversation, heading into the Easter season, what a new way of looking at what Jesus did for us. He did put his body on the line, he took the full force of the attack intended for us, and in the end, without ever fighting back, he saved us. That is the bravest kind of hero I know.
"Mom, superheroes have to fight to protect people, so it should be OK for me to fight. What do we do about fighting?"
"Let me tell you what I think a Christian should do about fighting. We do have a responsibility to protect others, you're right. And I think when someone is being picked on or someone is fighting, we need to do everything we can by talking to get them to stop. We do everything we can. If that doesn't work to stop them, then we need to find someone in authority to tell--a teacher, a parent, the police. But sometimes, talking doesn't stop that person. Then, we do have a responsibility to act. There were times in the Bible when God told his people to fight. And, even in our time, sometimes it comes to that. There was a war a long time ago. A group of people were being picked on, and a lot of people in the world fought to protect them. They tried talking. They tried everything they could to stop them without fighting, but in the end, they had to fight to protect those people.
"But, Thomas, fighting doesn't always mean hitting or kicking or hurting the other person. Sometimes the best way to protect someone is to put yourself between them and the person hurting them. Do you know who does that better than anyone I know? Cora! When you're pretending to attack me, she puts her little body between us, spreads out her arms and shouts, 'You don't hurt my Momma!' She stays there, protecting me, until you stop [he laughed and couldn't believe his little sister was a hero].
"Sometimes the best thing we can do is just to put our bodies between two people, to block the person being hurt, and to say, 'I won't let you do this to them.' There are people around the world who do this. Not long ago, some people were trying to hurt another group of people. Other Christians wanted to help, but instead of fighting, they went and stood around the people being hurt. They stood in a circle around them and kept them safe, but they never fought back. Thomas, isn't that what Jesus did for us? He put his body between us and our enemy. He took all of the attack, he blocked us, and kept us safe."
He strode into preschool that morning, rehearsing over and over what he would do if any of his friends were picked on that day. We were almost to the door when he stopped short in his tracks.
"But, Mom, if my friends are fighting and I step between them--what if they hurt me?"
I swallowed a lump. Here it was.
"They might. They really might, son. Those people I told you about? A lot of them did get hurt. But they knew it was more important to protect someone who couldn't protect himself. And what about Jesus? He put his body between us, and he was badly hurt. Thomas, he died. But it was the only way to protect us."
He shook as he went down the stairs, but he lifted his little chin and marched right into the class room. I called Micah when I got home and told him about the conversation. We always shake our heads after these talks and wonder what the future holds for this little son. Even if all these discussions do is teach him to stand up for a classmate, we will have gotten through. After a couple of hours, I went to pick Thomas up. He was beaming.
"Mom! I did it. I did what we talked about! My friends were fighting and I told them they should stop. Then I stood up between them. It worked, Mom!"
It was a little preschool-sized lesson, and taken at face value it wasn't a big moment. But what a poignant conversation, heading into the Easter season, what a new way of looking at what Jesus did for us. He did put his body on the line, he took the full force of the attack intended for us, and in the end, without ever fighting back, he saved us. That is the bravest kind of hero I know.
