Last night, violence ended the life of a young man we all knew. He was best friends with one of my boys best friends. Shots were fired into the cab of the pick up that he and his brother were sitting in, killing both of them.
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "What a shame, but that's what happens when you live in Honduras, the murder capital of the world." But you're wrong on one count. It happened in the parking lot of the Golden Corral on Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, FL. But you are absolutely right on the other count. It's a shame.
No one knows yet why this crime was committed. There is speculation that this was because of the "not guilty" verdict from the Zimmerman trial. No one knows for sure why, but it's a shame.
We knew this boy. He had come to church several times. He lived next door to our friends and was best friends with their son. Violence like this really, really bothers me. These men who shot this young man were once children. I have rarely, if ever, met an evil child. How do you go from being a kid playing basketball with the other kids in the neighborhood to being a killer? I don't know, nor can I fathom it.
My mind goes to the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. The question had been raised as to what must be done to inherit eternal life. Jesus had responded by saying, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and your neighbor as yourself." (paraphrased) The one who had first asked the question then asked, "Who is my neighbor?" (Apparently, he found it easier to love God than to love one's neighbor and was seeking clarification.) So Jesus tells the story of a man on his way to Jerusalem, waylaid by thugs, beaten and robbed and thrown in a ditch where he lay naked, bleeding and half dead. Two "religious" men came by, a priest and a Levite. Both crossed to the other side of the road, unwilling to involve themselves, perhaps late for church or an important meeting. The third man was a Samaritan, a man hated and despised by the Jews, which most likely the man in the ditch was. It is said that the Samaritan took pity on him. That he placed him on his donkey, took him to an inn, cared for him, paid for his room and left a blank check with the inn keeper.
Then Jesus asked the man, "Who was the neighbor to the man who had fallen into the hands of robbers?" The man replied, "The one who showed mercy." "Go and do likewise," Jesus commanded.
Today, I stopped at the side of the road to wait on Thomas to arrive from a friends house. In front of me lay a man, in the ditch. I glanced at him and mentally crossed to the other side of the road. He's drunk I said. He's not my problem I said. I got on my donkey and drove away, feeling slightly self righteous.
The truth is, I did not know if he was drunk or hurt or even alive. The only thing I know is I did not want to involve myself. I took no pity on this man. I chose to look the other way. If I could go back and do it over again, I would like to think that I would do it different, but the truth of the matter is I would probably do the same thing. Why? Because I do not really believe that I am to love my neighbor...at least not that neighbor. It's easy to love the person who lives beside me...you know, that neighbor. He asks nothing of me. We casually encounter each other in the "porton" and enquire after each other's health with genteel "saludos" and "Dios le bendigas". Yes, it's easy to love him. Jesus, why do you always have to set the bar so high? Why do you have ask me to love the neighbor in the ditch? Why?
My mind goes back to those shooters. Back to when they were kids. Was there no one to love them? Is that why they could so easily become cold blooded killers? What if their parents, their neighbors, their church had loved them? Would things have been different? Would those two young men still be alive today?
Something I am learning; the commands of Jesus, as difficult as they may be, are often for our own good. Love lived abundantly produces a harvest of love in others. But it takes time. That's the way it is with a harvest, it just takes time. Do you want to make a difference in your world? Then Love thy Neighbor.
My heart goes out to this family who lost two sons last Sunday night and to Robert who lost his best friend. May the God of all comforts, comfort you in this time of sorrow.
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "What a shame, but that's what happens when you live in Honduras, the murder capital of the world." But you're wrong on one count. It happened in the parking lot of the Golden Corral on Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, FL. But you are absolutely right on the other count. It's a shame.
No one knows yet why this crime was committed. There is speculation that this was because of the "not guilty" verdict from the Zimmerman trial. No one knows for sure why, but it's a shame.
We knew this boy. He had come to church several times. He lived next door to our friends and was best friends with their son. Violence like this really, really bothers me. These men who shot this young man were once children. I have rarely, if ever, met an evil child. How do you go from being a kid playing basketball with the other kids in the neighborhood to being a killer? I don't know, nor can I fathom it.
My mind goes to the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. The question had been raised as to what must be done to inherit eternal life. Jesus had responded by saying, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and your neighbor as yourself." (paraphrased) The one who had first asked the question then asked, "Who is my neighbor?" (Apparently, he found it easier to love God than to love one's neighbor and was seeking clarification.) So Jesus tells the story of a man on his way to Jerusalem, waylaid by thugs, beaten and robbed and thrown in a ditch where he lay naked, bleeding and half dead. Two "religious" men came by, a priest and a Levite. Both crossed to the other side of the road, unwilling to involve themselves, perhaps late for church or an important meeting. The third man was a Samaritan, a man hated and despised by the Jews, which most likely the man in the ditch was. It is said that the Samaritan took pity on him. That he placed him on his donkey, took him to an inn, cared for him, paid for his room and left a blank check with the inn keeper.
Then Jesus asked the man, "Who was the neighbor to the man who had fallen into the hands of robbers?" The man replied, "The one who showed mercy." "Go and do likewise," Jesus commanded.
Today, I stopped at the side of the road to wait on Thomas to arrive from a friends house. In front of me lay a man, in the ditch. I glanced at him and mentally crossed to the other side of the road. He's drunk I said. He's not my problem I said. I got on my donkey and drove away, feeling slightly self righteous.
The truth is, I did not know if he was drunk or hurt or even alive. The only thing I know is I did not want to involve myself. I took no pity on this man. I chose to look the other way. If I could go back and do it over again, I would like to think that I would do it different, but the truth of the matter is I would probably do the same thing. Why? Because I do not really believe that I am to love my neighbor...at least not that neighbor. It's easy to love the person who lives beside me...you know, that neighbor. He asks nothing of me. We casually encounter each other in the "porton" and enquire after each other's health with genteel "saludos" and "Dios le bendigas". Yes, it's easy to love him. Jesus, why do you always have to set the bar so high? Why do you have ask me to love the neighbor in the ditch? Why?
My mind goes back to those shooters. Back to when they were kids. Was there no one to love them? Is that why they could so easily become cold blooded killers? What if their parents, their neighbors, their church had loved them? Would things have been different? Would those two young men still be alive today?
Something I am learning; the commands of Jesus, as difficult as they may be, are often for our own good. Love lived abundantly produces a harvest of love in others. But it takes time. That's the way it is with a harvest, it just takes time. Do you want to make a difference in your world? Then Love thy Neighbor.
My heart goes out to this family who lost two sons last Sunday night and to Robert who lost his best friend. May the God of all comforts, comfort you in this time of sorrow.
An update. The police have arrested the man who allegedly shot the brothers. The Zimmerman verdict was not a reason for the shootings, but instead appears to have been motivated by the robbery of drugs. It is still uncertain exactly what went down, but the fact remains...two young men are dead. We live in a world broken by sin and violence. Let's change that!
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