This is Easter week. Holy Week. Semana Santa for my Spanish speaking friends! A week which ends with the glorious story of Jesus’ resurrection! Therefore, today, I want to offer you the story of a “resurrection” of sorts. A personal resurrection. The story of a man brought from death to life. A man who was made different. A true story of a man named Haji, in Ethiopia, entitled, “I Used to Beat Him.” It is found in the book, “When Faith is Forbidden,” by Todd Nettleton. Blessings to you as we head toward Maundy Thursday, to Good Friday, and then on to Easter morning and the empty grave! Enjoy.
I Used to Beat Him
“The nickname ‘Haji’ is a term of respect in the Muslim world, bestowed on those who have completed their ‘hajj’ pilgrimage to Mecca, one of Islam’s five pillars – although it’s not commonly combined with the title ‘pastor’! We met pastor Haji at his grass-roofed house in the southern part of Ethiopia, an area where a rising tide of radical Islam was threatening the church and Christian believers. Outside the house there was a burn mark where one week prior radical Muslims had tried to set fire to Haji’s house. Thankfully he was able to put it out.
As we sit drinking the orange sodas Haji offered us, we can look up to see the sunlight streaming through holes in the tightly packed grass roof. The holes are the result of neighborhood Muslims throwing stones onto the house, trying to pressure Haji and his family to leave the area or return to Islam. Thankfully, none of his family was injured by falling stones. Haji understands the hatred of radical Muslims. He used to be one of them! He was so devout he was sent to Saudi Arabia for special training.
As we stood outside the hut, Haji had his arm around the evangelist that brought us to meet him. Nodding his head toward the evangelist, he said five words I will never forget. “I used to beat him.” “What? I asked. “I used to beat him,” Haji said. He went on to tell us that he was the leader of a radical Islamic group of young men, and part of their holy duty to their Prophet was attacking and harassing Christians. One of those they attacked was this very evangelist, the man now smiling with Haji’s arm draped loosely around his shoulders. In spite of the beatings, the evangelist refused to hate his attackers. Instead, he showed them love and offered them blessings and good news. Haji had no explanation for such a response. How could a man you were beating show you love? How could he not grow angry and fight back?
Eventually, Haji’s heart was won by the gospel message and the love of the Christian man he was attacking. He left the vitriol and violence of Islam for peace beyond his understanding. But Islamic friends were not happy with his decision. Haji would spend a year in jail. He would face some of the same tactics he’d used against Christians. Now he was facing rocks through his roof and attempts to burn down his house, but Haji would not give up his faith in Jesus.
Once again, I’m struck by the joy the men and women of the persecuted Christian family possess. Haji is a happy man. His smile is huge. His laugh comes easily and often. This is not a man who lives in constant fear, though the threats against him are real and constant… Haji’s story is not unique. One of the church’s first great missionaries (the apostle Paul) was a man so zealous for his religion he asked for the assignment of hunting down men and women who didn’t follow their teachings. Then that man ran into the very One he was persecuting, and was forever changed.
One of our Voice of the Martyrs contacts in Columbia has a saying: “A racehorse can run just as fast in either direction.” One who is zealous for sin will often become zealous for Christ. One who beat Christians might eventually accept beatings with joy in the service of Jesus.
It’s easy for us to look at someone with holier-than-thou religious eyes and write them off spiritually. ‘He is so hard-hearted,’ we say, ‘nothing could reach him.’ ‘She is so trapped in sin she can never get out.’ But the testimony of pastor Haji – and the apostle Paul – is that none of us is beyond the reach of God’s grace and mercy. And those saved from much, are often the racehorses that run the fastest for Christ and furthest to reach others for Him. “I used to beat him,” said the pastor. Said the persecuted Christian. Said the kingdom worker. With a smile.”
I found his testimony to be good food for thought during this blessed week, which culminates in our remembrance of the Lord’s resurrection. After all, few things testify as strongly to the fact that Jesus lives than the testimony of completely changed lives who are willing to suffer persecution and abuse for Jesus.
Remember: The power that raised Jesus from the dead does, or can, also live in you, Pastor Jeff
Comments
Post a Comment