What a few weeks we've had.
A royal wedding was followed by one of the most dramatic military operations in U.S. history. Someone famously tweeted,
"The girl married her prince. The bad guy was killed. It's been a real disney weekend here on planet earth."
In addition to those dramatic events, we've had tsunamis, earthquakes, nuclear meltdowns, floods, wildfires and what will go down in history as the "Arab Spring" because of the popular uprisings that have toppled governments in the Middle East.
What is the Christian perspective on these things? Aside from the inevitable prediction that this is surely the end of the world (Jesus made it clear that when you think it's obvious- it's not), I've been thinking lately about how we as Christians should distill down the dramatic events we see around us.
There are many obvious points to make, but I want to focus not so much on what we see, but on what we should see through.
As Christians we are to see all of life through the lens of the gospel- that we are all dreadfully sinful and yet incredibly loved. The gospel gives us our context for reality and is the central truth of our life. Paul said, "I resolved to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). The truth we learn in the gospel is the lens through which we understand everything else in life.
The gospel keeps us grounded and balanced in our understanding of everything that happens in life. It is through that lens that we as Christians are to see all of the world events. This context brings balance to all that we experience- no matter how dramatic those events may seem.
So when we hear about a world terrorist coming to justice in a violent death our response should be measured somewhat by the overwhelming reality of the gospel. On the one hand we delight in justice accomplished, but on the other we can see that it is only by His grace and mercy that we ourselves have been rescued from the consequences of our own sin.
The gospel does not allow us to categorize sin. The Christian understands the incredible potential for evil that resides in every human heart and is able to say of the evil we see around us, "There except by the grace of God go I!" In this sense it is important that when events like this take place that we not measure ourselves against the sins of others and rank human evil in a kind of hierarchy of severity (2 Corinthians 10:12).
The gospel teaches me that my sin was bad enough to put God on the cross. It doesn't get worse than that.
My daughter asked me the day after Bin Laden was killed, "Dad, what do you think of all the celebrating going on for the death of this man?" I said to her, "I understand it, but to see Americans celebrating a man's death feels a little weird to me." She said, "Me too."
We talked about how to understand what we were seeing and what we were feeling about it. I made the observation that the celebrations we see should remind us that although there is rejoicing today about the end of a type of evil, that one day there will be great and lasting joy about the end of ultimate evil (Revelation 20:2). To put the celebrations in context in this way is helpful.
People long for the death of ultimate evil because it rings true. That is what our future is moving toward. We can rejoice in that.
Am I pleased that this man will no longer have the capability of terrorizing the lives of millions of people? Absolutely. Am I impressed with the faithfulness and sacrifice our military men and women who put their lives on the line every day for us? You bet I am!
But do I rejoice in his death? Of course not. I do not rejoice in the death of a single human being who goes into eternity without Christ. Ezekiel 18:23-32 teaches us that God does not rejoice in the death of the wicked. The Spirit of Christ in me does not reconcile an emotion that runs contrary to the heart of God.
To see events through the lens of the gospel is also to understand how nuanced our own limited perspectives can seem. The gospel is universal in scope and therefore as a believer I am to think locally and globally at the same time.
As Christians we are to understand our calling to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:19-20). It is helpful therefore at a time like this to remember that there are believers in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan and Iraq and Jordan who are holding up the gospel to Muslims and praying for their salvation.
An Egyptian Christian woman whose posts have been extremely popular during the Egyptian uprising tweeted the day after Bin Laden was killed,
"Americans you are really freaking me out right now..."
Because the world is now a vast social network via the internet, American Christians now more than ever have to be aware of their global witness. As Christians in America we have lived with the grief and sorrow of the events of 9-11 and have been immersed in the shadow of Islamic terrorism ever since. So it is understandable that we all felt a sense of relief at the news of Bin Laden's death. But at the same time we should make sure that our response to this kind of news is pleasing to Christ.
I am convinced we are individually accountable for how we bear His name to a lost world- even to parts of the world that insult our patriotic sensibilities- where unruly crowds shout "death to America" and burn American flags. These are places of darkness where the gospel has not penetrated and those are people who Christ gave His life to save. Indeed, these are the "outermost parts of the earth" Jesus was talking about.
So through the lens of the gospel I see things differently than my own limited perspective.
It is through that lens that I can see a true perspective on the meaning of the death of ultimate evil.
And this perspective helps me put all the other dramatic events of the past few weeks into proper context as well. Through the lens of the gospel I understand the fascination with the beauty of a royal wedding broadcast to billions around the world because I know that there there will be a day when the true and better Groom will receive His bride and all creation will rejoice (Revelation 19).
Through the lens of the gospel I understand that all creation is convulsing in labor pains until His redeeming work is consummated at the end of the age (Romans 8). I can see that these things that captivate us, as fascinating as they are, are not ultimate things. They are only shadows of things to come.
The gospel therefore as my ultimate reality teaches me to see through them to what is most important.
To see that He by His redemptive work on the cross has defeated ultimate evil and suffering and will one day completely bring it to an end and that on that day the true Prince of Peace will invite us to His wedding feast.
That will be a day that even Disney couldn't imagine.
