3rd June 2010

Yesterday Derrick Bird went on a shooting spree which began near Whitehaven and ended when he turned a gun on himself. 12 people are dead and many injured.  Our thought and prayers are with those injured and bereaved by this, as well as the communities he has hurt.

The sixth commandment says, "You shall not murder", Exodus 20.13.  

What are the issues that are linked to murder?

Life is a gift from God.  

The Funeral service quotes from the Bible - "We brought nothing into the world, and we take nothing out. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."  1 Timothy 6.7; Job 1.21b

Life is special. We are made in the image of God.

Genesis 1:26, Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.

We don't look like God, but we reflect something of his nature, including the ability to relate to him and to relate to one another.

Life is sacred.

God alone has the right to give and take away life. If anyone else does this they are going against God's command and they are setting themselves up as equal to God. This is what sin is. In taking life someone is destroying another person, patterned after God, loved and valued by God.  A murderer also takes a person away from his family, friends and community, destroying human relationships.

Motive.

One of the things being talked about in the news is what motivated Derrick Bird, described by many as quiet, mild, nice and unassuming, to murder. It is being reported he may have been involved in a dispute over a will, and police have confirmed solicitor Kevin Commons is among the dead. Other reports refer to problems with fellow taxi drivers.

Matthew 5:21, Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, `Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, `You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Jesus is warning that anger can be the root of murder.  Other causes can be envy, lies, frustration, humiliation, and revenge.  Jesus is not saying that we shouldn't be angry, he was angry at the way the temple in Jerusalem was used for profit rather than for worship.  It is how we deal with anger that is important.

We live in an age where the fact that someone feels something allows them to justify their actions.  We see this in films and television where people commit murder, adultery, and lies, because they want to. Yet, as the murders that happened yesterday show, this is not a good philosophy.  People should be in control of themselves. This is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  We should direct our emotions in the right way.

After speaking about murder and anger Jesus said,

Matthew 5:23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

The best way to deal with anger is to sort things out, immediately if possible.  This does not mean that anger cannot be expressed.  Someone could say, "I felt angry because..." But the process should involve more than just the expression of anger, there should be the goal of reconciliation.  Such a process may be difficult, and need humility and forgiveness.

I have already mentioned that self-control is one of the nine, fruit of the Spirit.  It has been said that people are like a tube of toothpaste.  When squeezed, what comes out is what is in us. If God is in us, there should be evidence of this, though we should not expect perfection!  God will continue to work in us.  

We have to remember that some of the great figures of faith in the Bible, Moses, David and Paul were all murderers, but God worked in and through them to bring them to a relationship with him and to further his kingdom.

Some of these ideas come from Ten, by J.John, page 127ff. Please see this book for a far more comprehensive look at the issues surrounding murder.