Village Shepherd

In every century there has been at least one group of people which has been ostracized with due horror by the rest of society. When we look back, it isn't easy to fully understand why these groups of people have been regarded as beyond the pale. In the time of Jesus and for many years afterwards, anyone who contracted leprosy was immediately cast out and groups of lepers had to survive as best they could, on the scraps and goodwill of others.

Until the 18th century, slavery was regarded as normal for society and slaves themselves were regarded as an inferior branch of humanity, little better than animals. Slaves had to do the bidding of others, were not paid for their work and were often badly treated or even murdered.

In India, anyone who happened to b born into the lowest class of people was so outcast by the rest of society that they were seen as "untouchables". Naturally untouchables couldn't get work, had to scavenge for a living and had little or no medical care. There was no logical reason for this treatment. It was simply an accident of birth.

During the latter part of the last century and continuing today, paedophiles are the new horror. Our society is so terrified by the thought of paedophiles preying on our children that we go to extreme lengths to make sure that never happens. Schools from the nursery stage upwards are barred to adults unless those adults have had their background checked by the police. And most men today are denied access to any children apart from their own. This has had a very negative effect upon society, an effect which might well be a time-bomb which will only become fully apparent in future generations.

But peadophilia is not a new phenomenon. It has been around for as long as humanity has been around and today's story from Genesis shows that it was regarded negatively even in the days of Abraham.

In today's version of the story, Ishmael the son of Hagar the slave-girl by Abraham, and therefore Isaac's half-brother, is described as a small child, young enough to be carried by his mother. Sarah, Isaac's mother, in a fit of inexplicable rage and jealousy, sees Ishmael playing with Isaac and entreats Abraham to expel Hagar and her son. It seems a very harsh and incomprehensible reaction to something so innocent and natural as play, as it was almost certain that Hagar and Ishmael would die without the protection of Abraham's household.

But there is a different version of the story, written by a different author, in Genesis 16:5-14. In this version, Ishmael is around fourteen years old, walks with his mother rather than being carried, and doesn't simply play with Isaac but fondles him sexually. With this version of the story, Sarah's extreme reaction can immediately be seen as much more understandable and valid.

Ishmael may have been a potential paedophile or he may simply have been experimenting sexually as teenage boys do, but no wonder Sarah wanted him gone, removed from all contact with her beloved son Isaac. Sarah doesn't much care what happens to Hagar and Ishmael, for to her, Ishmael deserves to die.

But things are much more complicated for Abraham. Whatever he may have done, Ishmael is Abraham's son and we're told that the matter was "very distressing to Abraham on account of his son." Abraham had no wish to be responsible for his son's death, yet he could see Sarah's point. And God had promised to make a great nation from Abraham's offspring, but which offspring? Ishmael or Isaac?

Abraham does the only thing any of us could do in such awful circumstances. He turns to God and asks God for help. God is able to see things much more clearly than Abraham and suggests that Abraham should go along with Sarah. But God also reassures Abraham. He tells Abraham that Hagar and Ishmael will be fine and that Ishmael will indeed become the founder of a great nation, but that God's primary purpose will be fulfilled through Isaac.

Abraham is a man of faith. Although all the pointers suggest that Hagar and Ishmael will perish alone and unprotected in the desert under a blazing sun with very little food or water, Abraham believes God and does his best for Hagar and Ishmael under the circumstances.

God does indeed keep his word. Although Ishmael and Hagar had been expelled because of Ishmael's abusive and unpleasant behaviour, God does not abandon them. Nothing more is said about Ishmael's behaviour or about Sarah's behaviour in so callously casting out Hagar and Ishmael. It seems that God is more concerned to help human beings than to condemn them for their sin. And so we learn that God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

God did not condemn Ishmael but rather supported and helped him through his difficulties and Ishmael grew up to be a worthwhile person and the founder of a nation.

When we see behaviour that appals us it is so easy to react as Sarah reacted and to attempt to banish such people from normal society. We don't want any contact with them. But God does not abandon them.

Maybe we should think again even about such unthinkable subjects as paedophilia and find a way of dealing with this problem which does not involve abandonment and collective horror. Maybe we should begin to see even paedophiles as people with a particular problem rather than as creatures from a horror movie. And if we do that, then maybe our generation will be able to enjoy our children once again and will not be a generation like those who condemned lepers and slaves and untouchables to a fate worse than death, but will be seen by future generations as mature people of compassion and care.