In Matthew 5:43-48, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says: "“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
I've been thinking about these verses a lot in the wake of the Osama bin Laden killing and as we approach the 10th anniversary of 9/11 - what is the proper response to the killing? Joy? Exuberation? Rejoicing? Sadness? Remorse? Mourning? All I know is that I had a sick feeling in my stomach when I watched the people celebrating at the White House and in Times Square like they do on New Year's Eve when the ball is dropping. Jesus didn't say to love when our enemies are killed and pray for their demise. He said to love them and pray for them when they persecute us. I struggle to see how what we did to bin Laden was consistent with this command. How many of you have ever prayed for bin Laden?Well, it was justice for him, you might say (as many others have). Really? Is that what it was? Did it really set the world right? Did it really bring shalom to the world? Did it bring us closer to "making all things new?" Or, on a more base, national level, was it even consistent with how our US legal system defines justice? What happened to innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, which is one of the non-negotiable tenets of our country? Despite that tenet, Osama was given the death penalty before even stepping foot in a court of law. Sure, he admitted on TV and in other recordings that he was involved in many mass murders around the world. Sure, he spewed evil for most of his life and likely was the mastermind behind more terrorism than any other human being in the world. But did we ever prove it? Did our near certainty give us the right to hunt him, ambush him and kill him, when he wasn't armed? Is that really justice?
Don't hear what I'm not saying . . . I'm not second-guessing the military team that executed its orders perfectly. I'm not even doubting the orders from our US leadership to raid the compound. Our leadership was just acting in conformity with our country's ethic permitting the killing of certain people if they are determined by the powers that be to be "bad enough" or threats to our country. What I'm questioning is something more foundational - our double (and sometimes more than double) standards when it comes to "justice" and who deserves to be "innocent until proven guilty." Also, I'm questioning how we as a country react to the murder of some people as tragedy and others as a reason for celebration. How we as a country rejoice in the death of a man. How we as Christians in that country celebrate hand-in-hand with our own countrymen. How does that fulfill the call to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you?"
What are your thoughts on this very difficult issue? If you haven't done so already, think about it! I'd love to hear your responses.
Phil, I hear what you are saying about loving your enemies and not celebrating the death of a person whos hope was not in Christ and as a result he will not be in heaven. As for his guilt or innocence there is no question as he himself happily on video claimed credit for it. As to a court trial or not, in his very specific case a court trial would have very likely created many many more deaths. The US Government handling of the event was the best they have handled anything lately. No one on the plant would argue he was not guilty and as a result of the way it was handled many lives all over the planet were protected and saved.
ReplyDeleteAs to should we kill people like him, that is a very complex question. If I have an enemy on a local level I should be willing to give up my "rights" and pride and try to love them. Taking revenge for myself is not the model Christ gave us. That said there is a ton said in Isaiah about God's anger over injustice and people standing by and doing nothing to stop injustice. In fact that was His main issue with them. I think of Micah 6:8 and I think our being glad at the end of Bin Laden was seeing justice. A man who killed thosands of people even his own people was no longer able to direct, order or inspire more of these killings. I believe war is different from a personal conflict. I also believe we have a responsibility to those who have no defender to defend them. Are we perfect? No way, but we as a nation are making great efforts to help those that are down trodden. I have talked to so many people that have served in Afganistan and Iraq and they felt they were there to help the locals, to protect them and discourage or take out those that were killing the innocent.
Can we do more around the world, sure. Africa comes to mind. Do we do wrong in the world, yes. America is still by far the greatest force for good in the world.
In particular to Osama Bin Landen I think we did it right and saved thousands of lives all over the planet, and now those thousands of lives have the opportunity to hear about Jesus.
That is my opinion anyway.
David
The opposing views whether Bin Laden should have stood trial have merit. But while the government has been entrusted as "an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer," (Romans 13:4), it is certainly clear that God does not delight in the death of the wicked (Ezekial 18:23 and 33:11), whether it's Osama Bin Laden or our worst enemy.
ReplyDeleteConsider these stories (quoted from a Philip Yancey article in Christianity Today): "In 1999, Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines was burned to death by a Hindu mob in Orissa, India. In 2007, German missionary Tilman Geske was tortured and murdered by five Turkish fanatics. The widows of both men made sensational headlines in those countries by repeating the words of Jesus: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
ReplyDeleteDo these stories apply to this conversation? Where does justice fit in here?
The question of how far does one go in loving our enemies is probably one of the most difficult questions we can face. Taken to its logical extreme, Christians would be complete pacifists, loving our neighbors as well as anyone who chose to commit a crime against us or go to war with us. A Christian could not have participated in the American Revolution if you hold this position and since most of the colonialists at that time considered themselves Christians, we would never have emerged as a country.
ReplyDeleteI think we have to consider the question in light of the Old Testament. The Law was given to Moses in the Book of Exodus, which includes do not kill. An interpretation of the law, also in Exodus, provides for a justice system that hears cases and metes out penalties, including death. Obviously, there were exceptions to “do not kill”.
Further, the God of the Old Testament frequently caused His people to go to war. He even instructed the Israelites to completely annihilate men, women, children and livestock at times. Does Jesus in the New Testament completely abandon the position God once took? Did God decide His old ways didn’t work too well so now He will try turning the other cheek? I really don’t think God changed His mind about how to deal with others so I think we have to look deeper.
Jesus said that He came not to negate the Law but to fulfill it. After the Cross, if we are saved, the Law is written in our hearts. To me that means we apply the principles of the Law with the sensitivity and the guidance of the Spirit that dwells within us. That means that in all of our interpersonal relationships we must be forgiving and loving, even to those who wrong us. But, God still demands justice for sins. Sins can and will be forgiven by God if the sinner is repentant but there may still be punishment both in the present - even for the repentant - and in eternity for the unrepentant. God does not want us as individuals to be the ones judging and handing out punishment; however, God does delegate that responsibility to those in authority over us; i.e., governments – all of which are ordained by God. So, a government can apply justice for wrongdoing and even go to war. As Christians, we need to pray for our government and we need to do what we can to ensure they are acting justly. As to bin Laden, I think as an individual Christian we should have prayed for him and been prepared to forgive him if he sought forgiveness. As a government, I think the US had the duty to seek him out and apply justice to the situation. In a war situation, and this was a war since we were attacked, I do not think we have a duty to the presumption of innocence. Did David presume the innocence of Goliath? No, he treated him like a military combatant.
There is an argument on the other side. One can take the position that when Christ came to earth in human form he initiated the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is both now and extends in to the future for its completion. In the Kingdom of God, it could be argued that God fights all of our battles for us. For example, in the Book of Revelation, the Battle of Armageddon is fought by God, not man. Our responsibility as Christians is to love our neighbors as ourselves and to forgive our enemies. God alone is responsible for retribution and justice. Personally, I think this argument deviates too far from the continuity of the Old Testament flowing into the New Testament, but I can certainly respect someone who takes this view.
Great comments, Dave, Bill, and Larry. Further proof that this issue is a very difficult one in light of Scripture.
ReplyDeleteThe teaching in the New Testament is more geared toward our personal relationship with God and when that relationship is in line then our relationship with others that should flow out of a right relationship with God.
ReplyDeleteThe teaching in the Old Testament is more geared toward God's relationship with His people, the nation of Israel. Now there are certainly examples in the Old Testament of God's relationship with individuals as well, but I'm talking overriding theme.
In this sense, the two are not discordant. God does not command individuals to make war or hate. God called His people to make war out of obedience and God laid out his provisions for those wars. When His people veered away from those provisions, they did not do well.
God does not change. His nature is the same now as it ever has been. Otherwise He wouldn't be God. What we see different in the New Testament is an emphasis on how we are to be in relationship with others. But Jesus also says give to Caesar what is Caesar's, which today would translate, I believe, to perfrom the duties your government asks of you, with the caveat that as long as it doesn't ask you to disobey God's precepts. So if you are called to go to war for our country does that mean do not kill? No, but I do believe it means do not kill with hate in your heart (hard to do, but is anything supposed to be easy when you are following God)?
Some more thoughts to chew on...
I delivered a sermon on 9/11 on this issue - more specifically, about how we can love our enemies on global and local levels. Just click here (http://bit.ly/rpM0yo) to download the sermon. I'm curious to hear your responses to what God taught me while preparing for the sermon.
ReplyDeleteWe are commanded to love our enemies, so, even if we don't feel like it, we must. We love others through actions toward them as brothers and sisters in Christ, or potential brothers and sisters in Christ. Is there any greater act of love than sharing the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ with unbelievers? Knowing a range of appropriate responses for me in this situation is difficult, yet celebrating someone's entering eternity without Him is not one of them.
ReplyDelete