Monday, April 22, 2013

Praying for victims and their killers

We were at a Bible Study last night, discussing Matthew's Gospel when somehow the subject came roaring up like one of those trucks on the icy roads on that reality show I will never watch so I wonder why I've referenced it. Someone said something about praying for the "Boston Bomber," and immediately someone said they could never do that. When I said that doesn't seem much like what Jesus would want us to do, to feel, someone else said they would, but "it would take a while before they could."

Of course, that's like fresh meat before a tiger to me in terms of subjects to be discussed. I do find it interesting that some have used this incident, which we do not know at all what the reasons for it were, to spark more argument about gun control and even pro-life/choice debate. Every one of these incredibly terrible, difficult incidents is more fodder for disagreement. Maybe in the long run that is exactly what those causing these things want.

John Piper, a rather noted theologian, tweeted during the manhunt for the younger bomber, he was praying for the suspect to be caught but also to be saved. "My prayer for the running Boston bomber: Make his foot slip. Spare more victims. Save his soul." A proper Piper, I would say.

In a sterile ethical, moral and even theological lab, this is an easy one. God is love. God wants the world to be saved. God sent his son to die for all. Jesus died, completing the task at the cross, for all. Among his last words before death, as his saving blood dripped from his damaged body, were: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

Slam dunk for the side of praying for, forgiving, even loving the person who by his or her actions have declared themselves to be an enemy. Isn't it? Doesn't that settle the discussion quickly? Apparently not.

Setting indiscriminate bombs in places that are sure to bring the ultimate in destruction, pain and death, even to children, seems to easily check the box next to enemy for most, but a surprisingly (to me) number of people think Jesus' suggestions about love and forgiveness don't include these bombers.

I read a forum reply to this issue that was significant to be because it wasn't alone in its pattern. An unnamed writer said, "The thing about Christ is, he was perfect and while human in part, he was divine in spirit and nature. I don't love my enemies. It insults the love I hold for those who deserve it and return it in kind to me, which is my blessing. If I love my enemies I hold contempt for my life that they would rather fall apart, see suffer, or utterly destroyed. As is the case with the two alleged terrorists in this case. To sit a backpack full of explosives before the feet of a family who's 8 year old boy was destroyed, who's daughter lost a limb, and their mother suffered massive head trauma, is not someone who deserves to be loved. If they knew what love was they wouldn't pre-plan ripping people apart with homemade bombs on a beautiful day in Boston. ... I'm human. I'll leave the love for that evil to the higher power that has a plan for it and as such that's why it happened. I don't know that plan, I won't try to figure it out. However, as an American I can not love our enemies! That's what they want, so that we forgive them while they dream of cutting our throats. Can you love that? Can you love that assailant that would put a blade to your neck and intend to take you away from this God given life? I don't. That murderer intends to play God. And there's only one of those. The Bible says God hates.  So too then can I."

On another location, I came across this opposing view:  "As a Christian I know that this man, this seemingly evil man, is loved by our savior. He is loved, just as my children are. He is loved just as I am. He is loved just as you are. That is the conspiracy of grace. It extends further than the most evil thing we can comprehend. It reaches further than the human mind can grasp. If it doesn’t, than how do I know it even extends far enough to save me from my wretched sins? I am no mass murderer. I have never killed a human. But, I have lied, I have caused physical and emotional hurt to others. By all accounts, my life is not worthy of being saved, according to what God thinks righteousness is. But, my life is covered by the mighty work that was done on the cross, and so is the life of this man who committed this unthinkable act of cruelty."

I think what this shows us more than anything, and this is a samples of of a views, is that religion used improperly is a weapon that ultimately kills. But can religion also be something that saves?

No.

Religion saves no one. But Jesus can. The person who is bent on justice and revenge even as part of their religion will have a very difficult road to understanding, truly understanding, the grace of God as lived out in Jesus Christ. Some just can't. So they use their understanding of Christianity to pound morality into others. Of course, it's their morality, always.

Can those who don't understand they've been given grace instead of the justice they deserve ever possibly understand how to give that same grace? With Christ, we can do all things. But this is a tough knot to tie, a tough row to hoe, a tough nut to crack. (I can go on all day with these countrisms that point out this is hard).

But I will say this: anyone who thinks God hates and the Bible confirms this is simply, in the humblest of opinions, dangerous at worst, misreading at best. That's what gets the bombers involved in the first place. Like the schoolyard fight over whose daddy can beat up whose daddy, we fight over Abba and Allah and everything else one can imagine.

But that's not why we're here. We're here to see if we can indeed pray for these bombers or their ilk. Can we, as human as human gets, be like Jesus in his teaching we are to love our enemies? Can we even come to agreement on whom we call enemies in the first place? Do you feel these guys are different than the troubled shooter in Newtown or the one in Colorado or the ones in Oklahoma City or on and on and on? 

The first thing we need to do is separate the need for there to be consequences for the actions of the bombers from the idea of forgiveness for them. One does not mean saying no to the other. Bomber B should and will be punished by earthly laws. Bomber A has already received his consequences.

But can God, can we forgive or even pray for God to do so?

For the Christian heart, which beats, in theory, with the blood of the lamb flowing in veins created by a loving Father, what we must see is there is more to be done here than merely incarcerate or even put to death this 19-year-old heinous killer.

We must ask ourselves this: Would it make us angry if someone in prison shared the Good News with him and God showed him mercy or would we be happy? What if the bomber accepted Jesus as his savior while behind the walls of prison? Would we feel elated or cheated? Would that change our thinking? Should it?

Let me give my opinion, which is all this is. Should Christians feel anger at what the bombers did? Of course, without question. But should Christians still pray that he will find mercy and forgiveness from God so that on Judgment Day he can point to Jesus as the only reason why sins like his are atoned for? I believe most certainly they, we, should pray this. Keep several things in mind. Jesus bore the cross reserved for Barabbas, who was a political insurrectionist. And on either side of the cross were two others, criminals receiving earthly punishment for their deeds (Lk 23:40-41). One of them said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (23:42), and that statement of faith changed everything. Were they killers of children? We don't know.

But I know one killer of Christians we seem to have no trouble giving a pass. The Apostle Paul lived another life as the killer Saul.

The questions we must ask ourselves include "do we really mean what we say we do, or is it just lip-service to religion, and are we committed to Jesus or committed to having the better religion? Are we ones who truly and literally turn the other cheek, pray for our enemies, love them into submission, or do we simply love those who look like us, act like us, think like us, do religion like us?"

It's time to put up or pray up. Till the next time...

2 comments:

Kevin H. said...

Nail, meet Hammer. I think you have done a wonderful job in describing the true radicalism of God's GRACE in Our Lord Jesus -- as near as it can be described by words. Oh, that we (by which I mean "I") would know it and show it!!

Sam said...

My thoughts exactly....well said. I was in two groups this weekend when this topic came up. Immediately it was judgement and punishment. Even when I brought the turning the other cheek thing and the business about loving our enemies and pray for those that persecute us....a few people said Jesus words did not apply to this situation.

So....I prayed...a lot. Not just for the bombers, the victims....but also for the Church and The Body. I prayed that all would know that forgiveness is not conditional or earned....it just is.