If you are like me, you are still trying to make sense of the horrifying
shootings that are happening across the world like the one that happened in
Las Vegas, Nevada this past week. When something like this happens my mind
always wanders towards questions like,
“Why have these types of shootings
been on the rise? Is this a cultural problem? A political issue? A matter
best explained by religious world views? Of course no one answer fits well
and sometimes it would seem it is a combination of many factors. Still,
there does seem to be one common denominator across these events and that is
that the person who is doing the killing hates someone or something, and
maybe even themselves. Yet, I don’t believe that the presence of deep-seated
hatred takes the explanation far enough. I have become convinced that in
order to attempt to offer a somewhat comprehensive answer we must not just
give an explanation of what is present (i.e. hate) but also what is absent.
So what is absent when a gunman or bomber, or truck driver, or pilot unloads
their means of death on their unsuspecting victims? Well, I think the list
is quite long but what is clearly missing are things like love for other
people, kindness towards a person’s fellowman, an acceptance of differences,
a want to build up another person and help them along in life. I certainly
don’t have any actual answers as to what happened in the minds of those who
have perpetrated some of our most recent mass shootings. All I know is that
what didn’t happen, and that is long list of “one-anothers” were either
never known, or were known and never embraced.
Christians are called to these “one-anothers” and the church that I attend
has helped me as of late to consider them more deeply. I have included a
partial list below of the ones that I think would stand squarely in the way
of anyone ever saying, “ I will now kill as many people as I can from this
balcony”. Although they are predominantly a call for how believers in Christ
are to treat one another, anyone who has the love of God in them will
earnestly seek to treat all people this way.
“Be at peace with each other” John 13:14
“Love one another” John 13:34
“Honor one another above yourselves” Romans 12:10
“Be patient, bearing with one another in love” Ephesians 4:2
“Be kind and compassionate to one another” Ephesians 4:32
“In humility consider others better than yourselves” Philippians 2:3
“Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another” Colossians
3:13
“Encourage one another daily” Hebrews 3:13
“Pray for each other” James 5:16
The thing is that as believers in Christ, we are not just called to treat
others this way because we are just trying to be obedient to the teachings
of Jesus. No, for us, we are striving to live as much as we humanly can as
Christ did. So much of the one-anothers above stem from this key biblical
passage:
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if
any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any
tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded,
having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out
of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above
yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the
interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the
same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[
a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used
to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very
nature[
b] of a servant, being made in human likeness.8 And being found
in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:1-11
In the heart of mass-murderers lives the idea, “kill one another” and they
have become so distant from God that they lack all sensitivity.
I know that there will continue to be a lot of opinions about why these
killings continue to occur. There is so much anger and hate in the world
now. Tempers are so quick. People are so judgmental. “Self” has become king
for so many.
It breaks my heart.
My only hope is in God….that He would work in our hearts, and that we would
indeed love one another.
For Him,
Rob