An ISIS Exegesis of Christmas

What is Christmas really about?

• Christmas Trees?
• Decorative Lights?
• Cheerful Music?

-or- 

• Betrayal!
• The Self-Sacrificing Love of a Father!
• A Ransom Paid!

This last week I read several articles about families whose children ran away to join ISIS.  Knowing the atrocities and the violence and the brainwashing and the trauma most of us find the idea of joining ISIS completely repugnant.  And obviously the families in these articles that I read were similarly shocked that their own children would have chosen to go and join such a group.  They were repulsed and could not believe that their child would do such a thing.  Many of them were under age but had gotten hold of their passports by deceptive means and in many cases they had stolen money from their family in order to finance their travel to Syria or Iraq.

One article told of two young girls who had left their home in the United States and were caught by the police in Germany before they were able to make it to ISIS.  Another article used the words of one of the children to describe how difficult it had been to telephone their parents to tell them they were not coming home.  One article in particular caught my attention since 2 girls aged 15 and 17 from the same family both ran away together; their family was horrified and sent their older brother to try to bring them back home.

As I thought about this story I realized there are a number of parallels between it and the story from the Bible that I want to tell this morning.  But in order to make it work I had to change the story quite a bit - so, with apologies to the family in question, here is a story I have made up but based on a core of this true article.

In this particular family there was 1 older son, Besnik, and 2 younger daughters, Alba and Anila. They lived in Tirana, Albania.  The mother had died many years before, but the father, Arjan, was a very loving parent and in many ways was both mother and father to them.  They were a wealthy family and the children were well cared for.  With the passing of time as the children got older, the daughters got into high school and were befriended by a young university student named Miri.  He seemed like a nice, respectful young man and the daughters only spent time with him when they were in a group of friends. Everything seemed good. But what the father and the older brother did not know was that Miri was a member of ISIS and he was doing his best to indoctrinate all of these high school students into radical Islam. He moved slowly and was adept at twisting words.  He told them to not speak to their parents because they wouldn't understand, but gradually they began to sympathize with ISIS more and more. They began to think of ISIS as being good and those that opposed them as being bad.

Imagine - thinking that a group that murders children and beheads non-combatants is GOOD! It seems unimaginable and yet with the flowing words from the handsome young university student, these girls eventually were completely indoctrinated.

With Miri's help and advice Alba and Anila convinced their father that they needed their passports since they had lost their ID cards. Then, knowing where their father kept his money, they sneaked into his room while he was gone and stole 2000 euros from where it was hidden.  Their father trusted them and it never even crossed his mind to check.  The next day they left as if they were going to school, but instead of going to school they met Miri and 2 others of their friends and got on a bus to go to Greece and then on from there.

That night Arjan and Besnik were frantic when the girls didn't return home. At first they thought it was just traffic or maybe they had stopped to have a coffee with their friends.  Eventually Arjan started telephoning the parents of some of their friends while Besnik went to look in the kafene where the girls often spent time with their friends.

When Besnik returned home Arjan was sitting on the couch, distraught. He had found the missing money and the missing passports.  Clearly the girls had planned on traveling.  And as Arjan and Besnik looked more carefully they found evidence of a secret mobile and a secret facebook account that had messages that showed exactly where the girls were.

Days passed. The bus arrived in Greece and they got on another bus to take them to Istanbul. Arjan and Besnik spoke with the police, with Interpol. Nobody could help. More time passed. The girls and Miri transferred to another bus which took them over the border into Syria.  They were told to call their family and tell them where they were and that they would not be returning. And they began training as soldiers. The first time Alba and Anila were part of a battle it sickened them. Only Alba had managed to shoot someone, but that person was an old woman who was defending her home. And afterwards both girls had watched the beheadings and the rapes and the stealing of the children in horror.  

Meanwhile Arjan and Besnik had no idea how to contact the girls since that 60-second call.

After more weeks passed Anila, the younger girl, simply could not go on. Every day she was sickened by what she was being asked to do. And now increasingly Miri was talking about the fact that she would need to marry a soldier and bear his children. As she looked around at the men in ISIS with her she was appalled at the idea of marrying one of these psychopaths that laughed as they murdered children. She resolved that she would return home at all costs. 

Ironically her plans to leave ISIS were eerily similar to her earlier plans to run away from home.  She was responsible for cleaning the commander's tent and she knew that her passport and a good deal of money was locked in a box inside. And she had seen where the commander hid the key.  One afternoon when she was all alone in the tent she opened the box, took out hers and Alba's passport and enough money to get home and a mobile phone, carefully locked the box and replaced the key where she had found it.  She put the passports and the money in a plastic bag and buried it in the corner of her tent.

Alba was looking increasingly fragile and frightened day by day. Her eyes that had danced with joy before now seemed dead and listless.  Anila was certain that she would agree to return home with her and so the next night she waited until the sisters were alone and then in a frightened whisper outlined her plan. She knew how to get to the nearest bus station and when the bus left for Turkey; she showed the passports and the money; and she explained that this afternoon was the only chance they would have before their unit was transferred even further away from the border.  In tears Anila held Alba and reminded her of the atrocities they had witnessed and pointed out that it would not get any better. Alba sat still and stiff like a block of wood. Her eyes were wide and seemingly almost frantic. Eventually she started shaking her head and saying "No, no, no, we mustn't go - do you know what they will do to us if we try to escape?!" and ran out of the tent.

Anila, at only 16 years of age, had no idea what to do. She realized she had to leave and she realized now that she was not going to be able to do it herself.  In a panic she texted her father and her brother telling where she was and where her unit was being transferred and that she feared for her life.  Then she buried her sister's passport and half the money and crept out of the tent.  As she rose to her feet preparing to escape to the safety of the bus station, someone stepped out from behind a nearby truck - it was Miri with a sneer on his face.  Panicked, she turned the other way and 6 soldiers stepped out from behind another truck.  Miri strode towards her and raised his kalezhnikov. The last thing she saw before the butt of the rifle hit her in the head was her own sister stepping out behind Miri. This was not the way she wanted to die.

Later she awoke, bruised and bleeding. She hurt all over and didn't even want to imagine what had happened after Miri hit her. From the darkness around her she heard sobs and moans. She tried to speak, to ask where she was, but the other girls around her quickly silenced her with a fearful shush. Then, in a barely audible whisper, Anila learned the truth about the camp prison. She had been told that enemy soldiers were kept there, but now she found that this was where the kidnapped girls were kept for the pleasure of the ISIS men. She heard stories of rape and torture and found that many of the girls were just like herself - they had been part of ISIS but had decided to leave and been caught.  In her already weakened state Anila simply collapsed, now even more horrified by the idea of living in this hell than she had been horrified by dying earlier in the day.

What she didn't know was what had happened in Albania as a result of her text. When Arjan received the text earlier in the day he had called back, but the phone rang unheard in the tent as the men beat Anila into unconsciousness outside.  But Arjan did not give up - he continued to call and call and call - and about an hour later a curious soldier wandered into the tent to find out where the noise was coming from, answered the phone, and Arjan was able to convince him to give the phone to the commander.  Several tense hours of negotiations followed. Arjan was truly a wealthy businessman, but the terms of the ransom would beggar him.

He didn't hesitate for a moment.  In a matter of hours he had sold everything he owned at a staggering loss but had managed to raise all the money that the commander had asked. He placed the money in a suitcase and after a heartfelt good-bye he sent his son, Besnik, on a plane on his way to the rendezvous point in Syria.

The next morning Anila awoke in a fog of pain and despair. The other girls were filing out, staggering as they wree manhandled by the soldiers standing on either side, but Anila was left alone. Standing on tiptoe she could just see out the single small window in the cell and she saw her sister staring at the prison, tears tracking down her cheeks.  Nearer she saw Miri arguing with the commander and realized it was that noise that had awakened her.

"I tell you, she's mine! I went all the way to Albania to get her and the deal was I get to do whatever I want with the first one that tries to run," Miri angrily demanded.

"No, I have a different plan for this one," the commander answered.  "You just make sure the sister is prepared to give the right answer and I'll let you have her when we get back."

As Miri got increasingly angry the commander struck him once full on the face and motioned 2 soldiers to push him over to where Alba was standing, gaunt and hollow-eyed.  Miri staggered to where she was and, in front of Anila's horror-struck gaze, grabbed Alba by the hair and began dragging her away, hitting her again and again. Anila had never felt more helpless or hopeless in her life.

But all that day nobody came. Nobody gave Anila any food, but at least no-one came to visit untold horrors on her. She waited in an agony of terror and the anticipation gradually became as bad as the torture itself, but still nothing but silence echoed from outside her cell, periodically punctuated by a distant moan or scream or the sound of a gunshot. Hours passed. Late that afternoon the commander of the ISIS unit came and tossed a bundle of clothes through the bars of the door and left. Anila recognized with surprise that they were the same clothes she had worn when she came to Syria in the very beginning.  Not knowing what was going on but recognizing that these clothes were in much better condition than her ripped and bloody ones, Anila dressed hurriedly in clothes that still smelled of Albania. She was almost overcome with a wave of longing for home.  

At that moment the commander returned and opened the door and 2 men came in and dragged her behind him out of the building. As she was pulled into the dazzling desert sun she heard the voice of the man she had come to fear just in the last 24 hours - Miri was crouched over a broken form on the ground, shouting in anger.  As Anila's eyes adjusted she realized that he was standing over Alba shouting as she huddled in fear.  The 2 girls were unceremoniously dumped in the back of a truck and they started bumping over the rough desert road.  Anila moved over closer to Alba but Alba wanted nothing to do with her and struck out at her with hand and foot whenever she approached.  Anila finally gave up and huddled miserably in the opposite corner of the truck bed, eventually falling into a fitful doze.

In the middle of the night the truck skidded to a halt and the 2 girls were jerked out and thrown on the ground.

And then came a sound that Anila thought she would never hear again. Both girls raised their eyes in wonderment as they heard the voice of their beloved brother, Besnik, arguing earnestly with the commander.  They were standing over an open suitcase and the commander was greedily thumbing through the stacks of bills - more money than Anila or Alba had ever seen in their lives.  Eventually the commander gave a grunt of agreement and motioned for the girls to be brought over.

Besnik looked like he was ready to attack the commander with his bare hands when he saw the blood and bruises on both girls, but the soldiers aimed their guns and he brought himself under control with difficulty.  Then he knelt next to his sisters and gently explained that a ransom had been agreed on and had been fully paid and they could go home.  As he mentioned the word "home" Alba's eyes rolled in panic and she frantically looked around to see where Miri was standing.  Although he was standing several meters away it was obvious from his posture and facial expression that he was listening furiously to every word and communicating daggers with his eyes at Alba. She cringed in fear.

Besnik reached out his arms to each of his sisters to help them into the car he had hired.  The commander barked an order and the kaleshnikovs were raised once again.  Besnik almost screamed in frustration but once again mastered himself and stood up to ask what the problem was.  

But it was Miri that spoke instead of the commander.  "Noone takes anyone away from our unit unless it is by choice! These girls are part of the glorious Islamic State and we will allow you to take them away only if they choose to go."

Anila could hardly believe her ears.  Choose to go?! Who would want to stay with psychopaths like this?  She spoke up before Miri had even finished his sentence, saying loudly and clearly, "WE CHOOSE TO GO!"

Miri ground his teeth in rage and took a step forward as if to hit her, but Besnik stepped in between and said, "You heard them - they want to go."

Miri stepped back and curled his lip in a way that Anila had found endearing before but now she knew was his expression when he was holding back his natural violent nature. She nervously stepped further away from him as he spoke, "I didn't hear 'them' speak - I heard only one of these girls speak.  She can go if she wants - she doesn't have what it takes to be one of us anyway.  But this one" - he motioned to Alba - "will stay here unless she speaks for herself."

"Woman, do you want to go back to your soft life with these unbelievers or do you wish to stay here with the mujahadeen and fight in our jihad?"  As he said these words, he stepped around Besnik and approached Alba, standing threateningly above her.  

Alba cowered before him and stumbled over her words, "No, I don't want to go. I want to stay. No, no, no, we mustn't go. Please don't hurt me again."

Besnik saw Alba's terror and stepped between them again.  This time Miri didn't hesitate - he growled two simple words, "She chose," and pulled out his pistol and shot Besnik. His blood splattered through the air as he spun around and fell to the ground.

Anila screamed - not Besnik! This couldn't be happening. She ran to his side and saw that he was clutching a wound on his chest but was still conscious.  In panic she dragged him over the car as Miri laughed derisively.  With the last of her strength she maneuvered his body into the car and then she jumped into the back. The driver sped off in a cloud of dust.

Anila looked out the back window and as the dust cleared for a moment she saw Alba. Miri was standing over her again, but she didn't look afraid now - her eyes were wide and empty and dead again.

Epilogue

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Besnik's wound was not fatal - it had missed his heart by centimeters. A Turkish hospital was able to stop the bleeding and get him stabilized.  A week later Besnik and Anila arrived back in Albania and were met at Mother Teresa Airport by an overjoyed Arjan.  The 3 of them had a joyful reunion, marred only by the sad knowledge that part of their heart was missing - Alba was not with them and they had no idea where she was. Arjan had tried to trace her through the location Anila had given him, but the unit must have been transferred elsewhere and nobody would talk to him.

There is nothing wrong with pretty blinking lights and Christmas trees and cheerful music. But this story of adventure and escape and brainwashing across the Balkan peninsula and into the desert of Syria has more to do with the REAL Christmas than all our modern traditions.

You see, God is our Father. He is a loving Father who created us for the purpose of being in relationship with Him. But we have betrayed Him with our sin.

Yes, as you listen to this story you may want to put yourself in the position of the father or the brother, as the heroes of the story. But the reality is that our position in that story is the position of the 2 sisters.  Just as they betrayed their father, the sin we are each guilty of (the Bible says we have ALL sinned) is a far greater betrayal of our Father, our Creator.

As Arjan in our story did not take action until Anila sent him a text, our Father does not force us into reconciliation. He patiently waits for us to recognize that we have a problem and call out to Him, asking for help.

Anila could not save herself. She bravely tried, but she was caught and beaten and imprisoned for her trouble. In the same way we cannot do enough good to reach God. We cannot solve our problem on our own. Until we recognize that we have reached the end of ourselves and humbly ask Him for help we are lost and helpless and hopeless. 

It may feel like we're making progress, just like Anila was able to take some steps towards freedom. But God's standard is perfect holiness. Saying that we have done some good things and that should somehow earn favor with God is like mixing some pure water with manure and saying that somehow makes it edible. It just doesn't work! It's either God's way or there IS NO WAY.

As a great ransom had to be paid which required great sacrifice on the part of Arjan, so a great ransom had to be paid by God. But the sacrifice was much greater.  God's Son, Jesus (who was faithful to the end, the meaning of the name "Besnik" in the Albanian language), had to give up the rights of deity, had to empty Himself of His very God-ness - what could be a greater sacrifice than this?! He came to earth and was born as the son of a humble peasant, literally born in a barn! [1]

As Besnik had to leave his home and travel to a place of great suffering and great evil, so Jesus had to leave heaven and go to earth, becoming "Immanuel" which means "God with us."

As Besnik had to go and pay a great price and suffer for something he did not do, so Jesus came to earth and paid a great price and suffered for something that He did not do.  

You see, Jesus was born in Bethlehem 2014 years ago [2] - that is the beginning of the story of Christmas. But that's not the end of the Christmas story - He grew up, never once doing anything wrong. Ethically and morally he was perfect. The Bible tells us that the penalty for sin is death, but Jesus did not sin so He did not owe that penalty.

And yet when He was 33 years old He willingly gave Himself up to be falsely accused and executed on a Roman torture device called a cross.

He died.

The Son of God died.

God Himself (in the incarnate person of Jesus) surrendered to the power of death in order to pay the penalty that WE owe.  Remember, the penalty for sin is death and we are those who have sinned [3]. But instead of us dying, Jesus died in our place.

But just as Anila and Alba could not be set free and taken home until they themselves chose, so God does not force Himself on us. The salvation Jesus provided is available to all of us, but this freely offered gift does not become ours unless and until we accept it.  

(1) We have to understand that God loves us and desires a relationship with us

(2) We have to humble ourselves and accept that we are sinners and cannot restore our relationship with God except through His help

(3) We have to understand and believe that Jesus died in our place and has provided a way of reconciliation

(4) We have to accept His gift and surrender ourselves to Him, moving from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light.

The best news of all?  Although Jesus died on the cross, He didn't stay dead. He overcame death and 3 days later rose again from the dead. Those of us who follow Jesus do not serve someone whose dead body rots in a grave somewhere, eaten by worms; we serve a living Savior and we have the opportunity to love and to be loved by Him.

Where do you stand? Have you become a follower of Jesus? Have you accepted the gift? If not, don't wait! Don't think you can make it on your own. Don't think you are "good enough." Your decisions in this world have eternal consequences in the next - choose life!

For now, in my fictionalized account of Arjan and Besnik and Anila, they are celebrating a joyous reunion. And there is no season on earth more joyous than Christmas. Let's join together in joyously celebrating the good news that was originally announced by the angels thousands of years ago.

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[1]  I guess my mom would have had to forgive Jesus if He left the door open or tracked mud in the house since he could have answered "actually, YES" to that question mothers have been asking throughout the ages: "Why'd you leave the door open - were you born in a barn?!"

[2] Historians tell us that Jesus was probably born in 4 BC (meaning he was born 2018 years ago), but saying that Jesus was born 4 years Before Christ is just too weird (if you're blonde you may have to think about that a moment - apologies to savvy blondes the world over), so I'll go with our modern calendar, warts and all.

[3] If you are surprised or offended by this it's not something I'm making up.  God Himself says it clearly in the Bible.  Romans 3:23 says that all human beings have sinned and fallen short of God's standard. That includes me. And that includes you.  And Romans 6:23 says clearly that the penalty for sin can be nothing less than death - that penalty MUST be paid. When a man says of a criminal "he did the crime; he's got to do the time," his thirst for justice and righteousness is nothing more than the faintest echo of God's expression of righteousness and justice - God is PERFECT and will not allow unrighteousness to be ignored or passed off. The penalty of sin is DEATH and it WILL be paid.