Why God?!

Chorus: Let others see Jesus in you. Let others see Jesus in you;Keep telling the story, be faithful and true, Let others see Jesus in you

Tonight's scriptures are short and to the point.  It’s actually a command.    The command is so important that it is captured in the Old and New Testaments.  Three Gospels include this message – Matthew 22:37-38; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27; and it is captured in the Old Testament at Leviticus 19:18. 

Matthew 22:37-38	Mark 12:30-31	Luke 10:27	Leviticus 19:18
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.	30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.	27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.	18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.

First, love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and then love thy as you love yourself.  This is what we are supposed to be doing, right?  We can certainly agree.  Yes sirree.  Christians agreeing!  Got it!!

I say it over and over again.  First, love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and then love thy neighbor as you love yourself. 

We don’t disagree because you say it yourself. Don’t you say it too?  Go ahead, say it yourself:

First, love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and then love thy neighbor as you love yourself. 

So, if I’m saying it, and you’re saying it.. Wait a minute. One more time.  First, love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and then love thy neighbor as you love yourself?

So, if that it, then I have to ask, why God!  WHY!!

Let us pray.  Heavenly Father, with all the things that are going on we come to you asking Why.  Heavenly Father we know all the good that you do.  And in light of the bad, we ask why you continue to be good us.  We ask why you smile on us and why you give us a reason to keep going.  Heavenly Father, we ask that you would hear our voice today; note our concerns and inspire us to do more, to do better.  We love you and for the one who is being the message we ask that you would move her out of the way and allow the Holy Spirit to capture what you would have your people know. It is in your name that we pray.  Amen.

Tonight I’m sad.  Tonight I’m angry.  But believe me, tonight I am more energized than ever to make a difference. And when I get like this, I ask, why God, why?  Let me just get into what I want you to devote some time and reflection to.

This thing of sexual violence is everywhere.  It’s killing people.  People are being raped.  There are beatings.  This domestic violence, this date rape, this harassment! 

Whoa.  Let me slow down. 

Do you know this is Domestic Violence Month?.  In the name of Jesus, why would we need a domestic violence month?  Can we pause and consider something that just might hint at the root of this sin... or at least perhaps one important root?  When we consider Domestic Violence, we tend to think of it occurring within some family unit.

But I tell you that it’s the aftermath.  Domestic violence is the aftermath.  How about situations that involve sexual violence before there is a long-term relationship/marriage or family; and I’ll include distant family? 

Let’s think about this now.  Before the husband or wife punches the other.  Before the child gets knocked down and hurt.  There are generations repeat these atrocities.  But we don’t talk about it… Not much. 

And so, I ask:  Why God, Why?  Perhaps because not enough of us ask God why, the next thing you know, the news is once again full of talk about yet another Jane Doe who says she was raped by several men… and get this for seven hours while she was on Cornell’s college campus. 

Now Cornell is a pretty prestigious college.  I looked it up. It’s ranked #14 in the National Universities and Top Private Schools list and #28 on the Best Value Schools list.  That’s pretty impressive, right?  Hey, it’s light-years ahead of the college I attended.

Is it any surprise that none of the men were charged?  What’s with writing a letter about what you did as a consequence of gang-rape?  This rape occurred in 2024, and it’s only coming back into public awareness because Jane Doe filed a civil suit?  A woman on MS NOW segment perfectly framed it this way:  Leticia James has been charged with prosecuting this new case.  But where are the men?  She went on.   Men don’t get angry.  They protect the perpetrators. 

That’s a strong statement. Ponder that for a moment.  You know I don’t have to name them.  You know who they are.  So many hold high-profile political positions and are well known in Hollywood.  Some of them head households.  And if I’m going to be honest, some of them preach in pulpits.  They gain prominence while the true victims are shattered for life. 

Why aren’t more men outraged at what is happening?  Write an essay, get a pat on the back, protect them from prosecution?  All of a sudden the perpetrator is the victim, and the victim is considered instigating, mitigating problem!! 

I have daughters!  I have granddaughters.  Am I the only one trying to teach mine, whether they are males and females, or whether they are mine by blood, alike, how to act?  I know that is not the case.  Nevertheless, sometimes, it seems like it! 

Love God?  Love others? So, right here, right now, I ask why, God!  WHY!

I ask you to stick with a while longer and check this op-ed out.

Driving home, Washington, DC’s WHUR happened to be on the radio; the host and his crew were discussing their 73-city mentoring tour.  The idea was to go to 73 cities and have a mentoring show. Some of those who attended wanted to know what was next. The response was It's up to you to take up the ball,  We got you started, and now it is up to you to decide how successful this will be there was no discussion about how someone in the local town was designated to keep the program running it was Showtime and many hopeful people came out.

The host went on to explain that the show would take on a new campaign in the fall. This tour would tackle illiteracy because, according to the host, the number one problem in our communities is illiteracy.  Our people can't read.  Therefore teach them to read, mentor them and provide a father figure, and the problem should solve itself or be solved.

[All the ills of our society would be solved if we only learn how to read.]

Many share host’s views. Mentoring programs are cropping up all over the nation. Many personalities are getting involved and trying to make a difference.  The goal is to mentor young people (men in particular) so that they might desire and achieve success.

Will mentoring and learning to read help with the oxymoronic problem termed domestic violence.  This crime against humanity is running rampant. While many are creating safe havens for victims and penalties for perpetrators, a cure for the societal ill seems to elude the best in the field.

Is illiteracy the number one problem? Will teaching our people to read and instructing them on society's code of ethics for the appropriate treatment of a woman help with domestic violence?  Do not domestic violators read, and are they not well-versed in outsmarting the system… be it legal, social, moral or religious?

A man holds a door for his wife, takes her arm and moves her to the inside as they stroll the city pavement, pays for the meal, adorns her with diamonds and clothes her in furs. This woman does not have to work.  She attends church and is a pillar of the congregation. His praises are heard in the public sphere. He directs others in how to obtain and maintain power with an iron fist. He returns home and, after reading to his child, he breaks his wife's arm while stomping in rage upon her torso.  He is the model gentleman in public. He knows the rules and manipulates them to his benefit and to her detriment. The public defends and stringently states he is not illiterate and he knows how to treat a woman. Is illiteracy still the number one problem?

While we are providing the service to combat and protect against domestic violence, are we properly advocating to rid our Society of this ill? I submit that while these programs and actions are vital, there is a dire need to get to the root of the ill and see if a remedy can be discovered in order that we might pull up the root and plant a new seed. Since we are so utterly supportive of quantitative thinking and seek to prioritize our ills, perhaps a thought would be to identify another number one problem, or object of our motivated attention.

Let's suppose the number one problem is man's refusal to value human life. Is it possible for a person who really values human life to be violent to another?  Would a person who values human life actually hide behind a mask of civility while repeatedly hurting a spouse or child?  While the belief may be that there is no need to have a faith tradition to value life, Christian voices to the contrary should be heard loudest. For they have had the example for centuries did not God demonstrate how much life is valued by sending Jesus Christ that we might have life? Does not the supreme sacrifice set the example and tone for valuing human life?

I would ask you to note that illiteracy was rampant in the days of early Christianity. Therefore, an ability to read was not the driving force behind striving to create an equitable community which valued life.

Perhaps a society of leaders determined to instill the belief that life is to be valued above all else could cause many of the ills of the world to begin to fade away.

If stealing my car causes me pain and you value my good health, you will not steal my car. If beating me black and blue harms me to the very core of my being, and you value life, you will pause before you lift your hand. Anger tempered words directed to insult, would be stilled in a society where the integrity and self respect of another is everyone's concern. If you are driven by a respect for human life, then your ordering of prison procedures would sincerely involve rehabilitation.

If domestic violence is going to end in our lifetime, we must find a way to reteach the perpetrator, and properly raise the young to set their minds to demand respect for human life.

Leaders with notions of materialistic prosperity need to be shunned and pointedly replaced with leaders armed with ideals of moral prosperity. Teach them respect for human life, and God will see to our needs.

More importantly, God will inspire us to stop the violence!!  So why did I begin by evening lamenting that I am angry, sad, but energized?  I wrote the op-ed I just read back on April 1, 2010. Yep, that’s 16 years ago.  And still?

The scripture tonight commands those who believe to “Love God with all your might and love your neighbor as yourself.  In light of this horrible thing called domestic violence, just what does that mean? 

Hear me and hear me good!  I’m speaking on behalf of the victims right now.  When folk sin in this way, do they see Jesus in me?  If you see Jesus in me, how can you do these things?  If anyone sees Jesus in this world, if folk love God first and others second, how can you not stand up when this happens?  If it is true that a young man went into that room back in 2024 and left thinking everything was okay and didn’t bother to take me out of there, did he see Jesus?  Did you feel the Holy Spirit when you knocked your spouse down?  Did you say you believe that Christ died on a cross so that this sin would not be when you broke that little boy’s arm? 

I tell you it begins before marriage, before living together.  It just happens before.  God is watching.  So, brothers and sisters in Christ, I ask you why.  And what are we going to do next?  I ask you: what is your comment on sexual violence and domestic violence?  How can we encourage others to take the hand of Christ that leads to salvation? 

I have hopefully got you started.  Now, it’s up to you how successful we can be at watching for signs and standing up when we see something.  Can someone choose to ask Jesus, our Savior, why today?  And despite this repugnant ill in our world, I still say yes: choose to ask Jesus not only why, but ask him to remain in your heart.  Is it okay that I’m asking God why?  And if it is, won’t you ask God why too?