The man responsible for leading a terrorist organization has been killed. Osama Bin Laden is dead; that’s what the headline proclaimed. With that declaration came a flurry of response. Some were ecstatic and joyful, while others were contemplative and somber. It wasn’t long before my Facebook feed lit up with the response from Christians here in America.
Admittedly, being a Christian in America places us in a conundrum. On one hand, we can finally see some glimpse to the end of this terribly long and deadly war. On the other, we carry a message of Jesus and redemption; a message that is to all men. The one question raging through my head Sunday night was, “what does the Christian do with the death of the wicked?” Let’s be real. We can’t talk about the death of Bin Laden with out, by default, bringing into the conversation everyone who has died with out Jesus.
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is min, I will repay, says the Lord” -Romans 12:19
“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles.”-Proverbs 24:17
“When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous.” -Proverbs 21:15
“When is goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.” -Proverbs 11:10
Scripture seems to be clear that we are not to gloat, boast or brag in the death of our enemies. And yet, there seems to be some sense of release to be felt by the righteous when justice has come. It’s OK to experience peace now. It’s OK to find some sense of closure in all of this.
If we are going to be honest with ourselves we need to acknowledge that if it was any other wicked man, some of us wouldn’t have responded the way we did. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians said we were, “by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” We all deserve God’s wrath. No matter how decent we think we manage to live. In a warped sense of self-righteousness we forget the sins that we have committed, individually and as a nation.
A good friend said this morning. “Noah wasn’t doing the happy dance on the ark while people died around him.”
What if the news were different? What if the headline read, “We have found Bin Laden, he repented, and has surrendered his life to Jesus.” How would we have responded to that?
Today, don’t celebrate that a man is dead; celebrate that Jesus is alive. Don’t rejoice in some false sense of security found by military battles. Rejoice that the ultimate battle for our soul has been fought and Jesus declared the victor.
What do you think…how should the Christian respond?
Update:
I’m sure my community of faith, Crossroads Church, already more than knows this about me, but to remove any doubt; this isn’t a rant against our military or the soldiers and their families that I daily minister to. Truth be told, I’m unworthy of shouldering the mantle of being your pastor. I’m deeply grateful and overwhelmingly proud of you for fighting for my freedom and rights. It is a great joy to be your pastor.
