By a curious coincidence, we were studying Jonah 4 this past Sunday in our adult Sunday school class. One of the major topics of discussion was how we as Christians ought to treat our enemies. Jonah, of course, was furious with God for sparing the city of Nineveh. He complained that he knew God was compassionate and merciful, and Jonah had feared that the Lord would indeed spare the city if it repented. The Assyrians were the enemies of Israel, God's chosen people, and Jonah wanted them judged.
We talked about how difficult it is, even knowing Jesus' teaching to love our enemies, for us to pray for those who hate us, and to deal with grace toward our enemies. Several class members spoke of situations in which they found it extremely hard, if not impossible, not to wish for judgment on those who had perpetrated harm on others.
Little did we know we would be tested that night with the news Osama bin Laden had been killed by American Navy SEALs. How do you react to news like that? There is certainly a powerful sense that justice had been served. Bin Laden had perpetrated evil, had ordered the killing of our fellow countrymen. When I visit my parents' gravesite at a cemetery here in town, just down the row is the grave of a woman killed on 9/11. Our town lost six residents that day, including a parent of a student at the school where my wife teaches. The scars are still prominent here, as we live not far from New York City. That bin Laden received what he deserved in an earthly sense gave a sense of satisfaction to all who were touched by the losses of that day.
Yet as a Christian, there is no joy that, as far as we know, another soul had gone to eternal judgment. God Himself, speaking through the prophet Ezekiel, says, "I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live." (33:11) While in its context this refers primarily to Israel, I believe it also shows us the heart of God. While divine judgment is necessary to uphold the holiness of God, it is not what God created humanity for.
As angry as I am about what bin Laden did, as much as I recognize the need for justice to be served, as satisfying as it is to see that justice carried out, I take no delight in the fact that he has gone on to a destiny in hell. Far too many people who have posted and blogged about this subject today seem to take joy in consigning bin Laden to the flames. That does not reflect a Christ-like attitude toward our enemies. Jesus could have cursed those who nailed Him to the cross; instead, He prayed for them.
Now, this is an incredibly hard teaching, and I'm not going to sit here piously and pretend I have reached a point where I can grieve for the death of the wicked instead of taking joy in their receiving their due. Yet I know that this is an attitude we as followers of Jesus need to cultivate. We should not let justice fail, or seek to simply brush over the evil that people do. There is judgment, both human and divine, and the Bible clearly teaches that. It is our attitude toward those under judgment that we need to examine. Do we think of those being judged with a sense of satisfaction or even gladness? Or do we pray for our enemies, and seek to see them turn to the Lord? It's a tough lesson, and I suspect it is one we will not master in this lifetime.
Who are our enemies? Who are those who we see as the personification of evil in our world today? Closer to home, who are those who have done wrong to us personally? How do we treat them? Let's pray that evil may be reduced in our world not through the destruction of the wicked, but through their turning to Jesus Christ in salvation. If they do not, may justice be served on them, but let's not take joy in judgment, but grieve for the hardness of heart rejects Christ.
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