It would appear that Anti-Semitism is to a society, or for that matter to any individual, what leprosy is to human flesh. It corrodes and decays. What before may have been living and vibrant is made repulsive. Nothing of any value appears to be left in its wake, and the damage it inflicts often seems irreversible. Such would appear to be the tragedy that just occurred, if in fact it turns out to be true that Mel Gibson did say the oh-so-very ugly things that he has been said to have said about Jews on the night of his arrest. But, in it all, I have to ask whether their might be found some blessing buried within the wound Mel inflicted.

First, let this be said. Christ neither ever was, nor is he today, anti-Semitic. He was a Jew who loved his people … and still does. Having said that, what does that tell you about what opinion on the subject those who are devoted to him should hold? And even though some erroneously may think otherwise, to my mind such people will never be able to make anti-Semitism either moral or right.

Now, having said that, let me also point out something else I think should be obvious. None of us are exempt from doing and saying things we regret, and that includes even people like Mel Gibson. He is, after all, nothing more or less than just another human being. That is to say, like all the rest of us, he is flawed and, thus, in need of the compassion and forgiveness we all ultimately hope to receive from time-to-time from others. That does not, however, address the damaging nature of his remarks. To do that, I think he will have to take a very introspective account of what in his life has brought him to this current crisis in his life. Then he will need to take the appropriate actions necessary to effect a satisfactory remedy, which ought to include a heartfelt apology from him addressed directly and publicly to the world’s Jewish community. If he were to actually do this, he might not only contribute powerfully towards stemming the odious infestations of anti-Semitism that are appearing currently around the world, but to the education of many about his Messiah’s love for all of mankind. Is that an opportunity Mel should seize, or what? If he was not a spokesman for Jesus before, now may be his chance to be one in a way that is even more powerful than was available to him before. How cool is that? Indeed, is God not great?

Could it be merely a funny coincidence that right now would appear to be the very time that such a spokesman is so very much needed? Given the present wars in the Middle East, and perhaps because of those wars, anti-Semitism now appears to be breaking out openly in places more today than at any time since the Second World War. From the words of Spain’s Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero spoken earlier in July to the condemnations of Israel for defending itself coming from other leaders around the world, it should seem apparent to even the casual observer that the spirits working for the enemy of Mel’s Christ to say the least are busy right now sowing their evil seeds of anti-Semitic hatred. And, during these times it is also interesting to me that God seems to have decided to put Mel at a podium now set before the world to speak on his behalf, if he is willing to do so. For me, the true tragedy would be if Mel lets his mistakes of the other evening, coupled with his love of his earthly treasures, cloud his view, and so cause him to miss this opportunity altogether.

From one perspective, anti-Semitism could be viewed as but one of many forms that denying who Christ was can take. And from this point of view, the good news is that it is a mistake that might possibly be put to good use by people who have the requisite courage and integrity to make it so. Consider, for example, the events of a similar nature that transpired in the lives of the Apostle Peter and Apostle Paul. Early on, both denied their Christ on a number of occasions only to be used later by God to deliver his message to mankind more powerfully than they ever could have hoped to achieve in the absence of those experiences. The reason appears to be simple. Their denials, when recognized by these men for the horrible mistakes they were, ultimately led to their recognition of their own human frailties and weaknesses, which, in turn, then led to their being appropriately humbled before the God they worshipped. Not until they had been brought to such a state of humility, however, were they truly ready to be used by their God more effectively than they ever would have been otherwise. In short, although these particular mistakes in their lives could have been for them a curse, they ultimately were used by God to produce tremendous blessings in the lives not only of these Apostles, but in the lives of all those who were eventually touched by their lives.

In this regard, I for one hope Mel sees this same opportunity he has now been afforded. Like Peter and Paul before him, if he has the courage and integrity first to assume a position of humility before his God as a result of the mistakes he made last weekend, he just might find that he has been prepared by that same God to be a conduit for tremendous blessings to be showered not only on him, but on all of the millions of people around the world whose hearts and minds only Mel now has the ability to reach with the message of who his Lord really is. What greater opportunity could be heard knocking at the door of any man? The question that remains is whether Mel will be willing to open that door and embrace this great opportunity. Whether or not he does, however, there exists one fact of which we can be fairly certain. At his door it is not likely that this opportunity will either linger or knock again. Right now the decision is Mel’s and the time for him to make it is now. Should he delay, sadly for him the opportunity will soon pass away and be forever lost.

© 2006 Clifford C. Nichols, Esq.

Cliff Nichols is an attorney practicing criminal defense in Santa Monica, California. He may be contacted regarding this editorial at either (310) 917-1083, cliff@cliffnicholslaw.com or www.cliffnicholslaw.com and you may join his blog at www.thedailystand.com