Straight after church on Sunday, we heard about the death of Osama bin Laden. We say around someone's iphone like old-timers around the wireless listening to the president's speech.
As Christians, how should we respond to an act like this? Should we celebrate death? Should we chide those who celebrate it? What does it mean to love our enemies, but pursue justice in this world. I take the SEALs at their word when they say that bin Laden resisted and was killed. So, how do we respond to the death of enemy?
Personally speaking, I feel uncomfortable with overt expressions of triumphalism. But I am prepared to admit that this is part of my personality. I need to check myself and not be judgmental of others when the initial response to the death of an enemy is joy. The instinct comes from the true human condition - designed by God - to love life and despise evil. It’s a little robotic to turn on a dime with those emotions. The psalms are filled with expressions of gleeful vengeful feelings, followed by confession, contrition and more questioning. So it seems that God’s Word is comfortable with momentary expressions of exultant triumph over enemies. The God of the OT is not a dispassionate Greek monad, but an exultant warrior who loves to see good triumph. Emphasis here on the word ‘loves’… He is passionate about it. God does not seem to be an emotional policeman in Scripture – so I tend to think that we should all cut each other slack in our initial emotional responses.
It’s okay to hate evil. And sadly, most evil resides in people. So, I think sometimes our hearts get mixed up. We need to make allowance for that – otherwise hate for evil might dissipate. It’s too easy to be rational and noble in the face of problems that don’t really affect us.
Also, I think there is a humility in communal suffering and communal joy as well. In an affluent country like ours, we don’t really know what it means to have shared misfortune or enemies. 9/11 was one of the few communal moments of shared suffering in this country. Usually suffering happens to others in a red state or a blue state, or at least ‘over there’ so I don’t viscerally feel the pain. But 9/11 seems to have been shared deeply by every American. In our increasingly divided, independent nation, such moments of shared emotion shouldn't be dismissed. Part of the joy in ‘We Got Him’ is getting to say ‘we’ with conviction. Sure, that might lead to tribalism, but let’s not trade love for my neighbor who I do see, with a vague love for ‘humankind’.
It’s a silly comparison, but I think the irrational glee at the royal wedding is a good point of comparison. If you REALLY think through all the implications, a monarchy is a bad idea. But something within us stirs when a prince and princess get married. Let’s not check our brains at the door, but let’s not check our deep emotions either – at least not straight away. (By the way, this statement does not apply to our government or the military…. They should definitely check their emotions at the door when making policy…)
BUT… we can’t stay there. As I read the Scriptures, I think the problem begins to arise when we start to apply definitive meaning to these emotions – meaning about the world or meaning about ourselves. When it comes to our gleaning a meaning for the state of our nation, Joshua 5:13-15 helps me here and Lincoln’s 2nd inaugural helps me here as well.
When it comes to personal reflection, gloating over an enemy or scolding those who celebrate is hardly the long term strategy. If we don't turn to ourselves, then whatever good might come of this is lost. The best example I can think of in Scripture is when Jesus responds to the question about the Tower collapsing and killing people or the victims of Pontius Pilate… ‘ do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” All of this should be an invitation to self-reflection.
So, emotional response shouldn’t be shot down immediately. In fact, there is great truth in it. Building worldview or self-view on that emotional response… not so great. The power of the emotional response can help propel us to more profound thinking about the true horror of evil and the deep need we all have for grace in light of judgment. This is my understanding of loving our enemies – treating them as human beings – both sinners under judgment, and sinners in need of grace. Just like me.
The best story I can think of is what my co-pastor Larry Austin said a while back. We were talking about the killing of an African American youth by a transit cop. The cop claimed it was an accident and got off pretty lightly. There was a great outcry. I asked Larry, who is black, what he thought of the outcome of the trial? Didn’t the cop get off too lightly, I asked. I think I asked the question because I wanted to show that I ‘got’ the injustice of the situation – to show my bona fides as a white man who gets injustice.
His response floored me. He said- ‘Well, he got off lightly. But by the grace of God, I got off lightly too. I didn’t get what I deserved.’ That’s a response born of grace. He took the pain of that situation and used it to deepen his understanding of God’s grace to him.
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