I am reading "The Pastor's Wife" by Sabina Wurmbrand. She was a co-founders of the Voice of the Martyrs organisation. She lived was a Jewish Christian living in Romanian during and after the Second World War. I have just started the book which begins with the Soviet Army coming into Bucharest and chasing the Germans out. Her and her family showed hospitality to Russian and German soldiers alike. She sheltered and fed some German soldiers running for their lives even though they told her to her face that they wouldn't do the same for her, a worthless Jew. Most of her immediate family have been killed by the Nazis. She explained it this way:
"The Bible tells us what it really means to be a Jew. The biblical word for Hebrew (Ivri) means etymologically to stand on the other side. The first Hebrew was Abraham, and he was one in a real sense of the word, standing on the other side. When all men worshipped idols, Abraham worshipped the living God. When others are bent on revenge, on ways of doing more evil than their neighbour, God gives the ability to return good for evil."
As Christians we have accepted Christ's invitation to be a part of God's people -to stand on the other side in the face of injustice, oppression and wrongdoing. I guess most of us won't be called upon to do it in such stark and tragic circumstances.
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