The last six days have been a whirlwind for most Americans, but especially for Bostonians. The regrettable decision of two young men has forever changed the lives of so many. I am truly grieved for those whose bodies have been broken and mutilated; for the husbands and wives who must now be spouse and nurse; for the brave individuals who ran towards the explosions and witnessed a horror which will be seared into their minds forever; and –most especially- for the families who are now mourning the loss of their beloveds. It is truly a tragedy.
In the aftermath, the entire nation mourned with Boston, and rightly so. Scripture calls us to mourn with those who mourn. As of yesterday, though, the mourning ceased and the calls for justice began. Justice is a good thing. I am thankful to live in a country where people are held accountable for their actions. Justice is also a biblical concept. God administers judgment, and God does that perfectly. I am afraid, however, that many people don’t simply want justice. They want retribution. That is not biblical. Romans 12:19 says, “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back,’ says the Lord,” (NLT).
These brothers did something terrible. One has already seen to his own demise by initiating a shooting match and putting explosives on his own body. The second is now in the custody of law enforcement. He is responsible for the pain and suffering of hundreds of people. There will be consequences. It is right and just. Yet, I still hold out hope for this man’s soul. Since Monday my prayer has been for God’s justice and God’s mercy to envelop this horrible situation. I am thankful he has been caught, but I continue to pray for his repentance and salvation. This nineteen year old boy, however corrupt he may be, is loved and wanted by God.
There has been a lot of talk on social media about the shear evil of Tamerlan Tsarnaev. I cannot disagree with this assessment. His actions certainly were evil, but I wonder if it’s healthy or accurate to speak of this boy and his brother as if they’re in some kind of sub-human category. It’s as if they’ve been moved out of the “person” box and moved into the “scum of the earth” classification right next to Hitler. However tempting it is to separate men like Tsarnaev from the rest of us “good” people, the reality of the situation –biologically and theologically- is that Tamerlan Tsarnaev is a standard homo sapien- a human being.
And humanity is capable of great evil.
Each and every one of us is guilty of some evil. The hatred we spew against a person or people; the resentment and unforgiveness we store in our hearts; the material wealth we hoard out of selfishness; the hurtful words we use to slander those around us is all evil. You and I are not as innocent as we like to think. When compared to the rest of humanity, Tamerlan Tsarnaev is not that much guiltier- only less restrained.
Humans have a great capacity for evil, but that’s because we also have a great capacity for love. If we are to be free to choose the way of love, then we must also be free to choose the way of destruction in equal measure. Tamerlan Tsarnaev is not the first person to commit his life to perpetrating evil acts, nor will he be the last. In light of this, perhaps our response to this tragedy should be less consumed with making Tsarnaev pay for what he did, and more concerned with fighting the evil in our midst by living a life of great good.
“Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21
Under the Mullberry tree 
Leave a comment