Dead Terrorists

I remember 9/11...I remember sitting in my first hour class and watching live as the second plane came out of nowhere and crashed right into the tower. I remember how emotional everyone got and how Osama bin Ladin became the most wanted criminal in the world.

What some of you may know is that Osama bin Ladin was responsible for other terrorist acts including the 1998 bombing of a U.S. Embassy in Africa. What I would dare to bet not many of you are aware of is that on Christmas Eve 1979 Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan. The United States, and other groups, wanted to support Afghanis in defending themselves so they provided local militias with money, guns, and military training. One of the leaders of that group was Osama bin Ladin.

What makes atrocities like 9/11 worse is that they were organized by someone we once tried to help. It's like we've been betrayed.

Rewind things almost 2,000 years to the time of a man named Jesus. He lived during a time when his home country was occupied by a foreign military. Romans oppressed his people. It was these same soldiers that nailed him to the cross. If Jesus had an enemy it would have been the Romans.

Or even better yet, the follower Judas who betrayed him, turning him over to the guards when they were looking for him.

Jesus knows how it feels to have someone do terrible and unspeakable things to you. God in the flesh knows what it's like to come try to make things better for the whole world, His children, and end up being betrayed by them.

But here is the thing...When Judas committed suicide because he couldn't live with the guilt of what he did, God didn't celebrate yelling, "Justice has been served". And when the Roman empire fell, Jesus wasn't up in Heaven saying, "Serves them right".

You may ask, "How do you know this?"

- I know because on the cross Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

- I know because when Jesus taught he told people to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44)

- I know because Ezekiel 33:11 says 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live."

- And I know because the Bible teaches us, "Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them." (Proverbs 24:17-18).

I believe that people can be really hurt by a catastrophic event. It can scar them, change their lives, and cause them to carry around a lot of baggage. I also believe that often people don't know what to do with their hurt and so they jump on the bandwagon of hatred, trying to find solace in all the wrong places.

There are a lot of similarities between 9/11 and the crucifixion, but the major difference is where the people put their trust. I ask you, do you wait on and live for revenge or do you do as Jesus did and "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." (1Peter 3:23)

Only one of these routes will lead to true justice being fulfilled, and its not the one with hatred, slurs, and ignorant Facebook statuses.

 

Martin Luther King Jr is credited with saying, "I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an anemy. Returnign hate for hate multiples hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

You may not feel like agreeing with me, but the truth is that we should reflect who God is with our actions, and God isn't happy that Osama is dead, He cares for each one of His children, hoping that they would all come to Him.