Reflections on the Death of an Enemy
I waited a few weeks to post this. As an avid reader of history I am still unsure of my footing here. Moreover, I always hesitate to post anything that someone might take as "political". I assure you that there is not overt or covert "political" opinion here and I am not trying to persuade. As always my goal is to expose my heart in a way that, perhaps, might be helpful to others so we can all strive and struggle together. With that in mind:
Curt Lovegren came into the office on May 2nd and of course the chatter around the water cooler was all about the death of Osama Bin Laden. We had just heard Pastor Les revisit his "trees" analogy and he had been thinking about "living out of the tree of life". As we chatted he asked me, "How do you reconcile this event - this killing - with the tree of life. I mean it's difficult not to feel good about it, but surely that sense of justice is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?" That got me thinking....
Like most folks when I heard that Osama bin Laden had been killed in a covert military operation I breathed a sigh of relief. For 10 years we've been holding our collective breath waiting for him to be apprehended. Now finally, a man who arguably could be called the greatest mass murderer in American History had found his end (certainly not the greatest in all of history - not even in the top 100 - but he was a bad actor whose life had reached its inevitable conclusion). Osoma's chief accomplishment in this world was to pour the agony of grief and suffering on thousands of families both here and throughout the globe while stoking the flames of hatred in those who see only "us against them". I was watching the Phillies vs. Mets game when the news broke. The crowd erupted in spontaneous cheering and chants of U.S.A. My heart was with them for a time and my smile and I felt that sense of collective euphoria I suppose we all felt. But the next day, as I pondered Curt's question, I was reminded of this arresting quote from Martin Luther King in his book "Strength to Love". It's pretty easy to say "Wow... that exactly describes Osama bin Laden and his ilk." But if you reflect for a moment you might realize it could also describe our attitude toward Osama's demise. Think about it. Please understand that I'm not judging anyone - least of all those poor souls burdened with grief who must relive this event again and again with each new story and every anniversary. But I want to find a way to love - to love even the Osama Bin Laden's of the world. I want to love others I do not or perhaps cannot understand. I don't want to give in to "us vs. them" self-righteousness that pits us all against each other. I think (at least at first) we found ourselves celebrating this event with too much glee and too little reflection. This eventafter all is the brutal death of a man and his son (and several others) slain in a hail of bullets. Surely Jesus loves Osama Bin Laden and his whole crew of misguided fanatics. I want to maintain the character of Christ in my heart - at the core of who I am. I need to let his love find its way to my attitude about this death. Paul gave us a helpful perspective in Romans 5:6-7 when he reminded us that it's rare for someone to risk his life for another "good" person, but God showed his love by choosing to die for us while we were his enemies. That sort of radical love is pretty far from where we are at most of the time - but it is the kind of love we get to experience in Him. Now if we can only learn to live from it! Finally, I do not doubt Osoma Bin Laden's death was necessary and even just. Certainly most Christians and Muslims alike would agree on that score (at least in the west). I am even glad that he is gone. But bullets do not make good ticker tape nor does blood taste of champagne. My gentle suggestion is to stop and seek the mind of Christ with sober reflection. What kind of people do we want to be... are we not perpetuating the same hate when we celebrate such an event? Are we not clinging to the tree of death? Would it not be better if we reflected Jesus' heart on the matter? I will leave you with this MLK quote from a speech given in 1963 on the subject of hate, love and the death of his enemies. Dr. King had many reasons to hate and every reason to feel self-righteous. He could have called heaven to witness his enemy's demise as just punishment for their many sins. Instead he leaves us with this beautiful gem.
"...Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful...."
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies 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."
Choir Director, singer, piano player, technologist and erstwhile blogger.