The Fugitive's Eyes

Ancient olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane

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"I agree about getting them all to sit down together to work out a plan.  Some of the most promising work along those lines has been groups of bereaved parents of children lost to a conflict coming together with love  and empathy. The core of all that I do that I most prize is bringing people together so they can and have to look into each others eyes.  They touch and are touched that way without hesitation or  shame.  And wounds can start to heal and divides can be crossed.  It brings to mind one of my favorite pieces of Henry Nouwen: Looking into the Fugitive's Eyes." 
                                                       - James O. Whitlock

Looking into the Fugitive's Eyes

One day a young fugitive, trying to hide himself from the enemy, entered a small village. The people were kind to him and offered him a place to stay. But when the soldiers who sought the fugitive asked where he was hiding, everyone became very fearful. The soldiers threatened to burn the village and kill every man in it unless the young man were handed over to them before dawn. The people went to the minister and asked him what to do. The minister, torn between handing over the boy to the enemy or having his people killed, withdrew to his room and read his Bible, hoping to find an answer before dawn. After many hours, in the early morning his eyes fell on these words: "It is better that one man dies than that the whole people be lost."

Then the minister closed the Bible, called the soldiers and told them where the boy was hidden. And after the soldiers led the fugitive away to be killed, there was a feast in the village because the minister had saved the lives of the people. But the minister did not celebrate. Overcome with a deep sadness, he remained in his room. That night an angel came to him, and asked, "What have you done?" He said: "I handed over the fugitive to the enemy." Then the angel said: "But don't you know that you have handed over the Messiah?" "How could I know?" the minister replied anxiously. Then the angel said: "If, instead of reading your Bible, you had visited this young man just once and looked into his' eyes, you would have known."

  

From the introduction to Chapter II of:

The Wounded Healer

By Henri J. M. Nouwen

*above photo:  http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=17985&p=114448&hilit=olive