"God Weeps"

The following is possibly one of the best facebook notes I have ever read. It was posted by my fellow scholar Isaac Burch in the wee hours of the morning on May 2nd, 2011. I felt it was worth looking up and reading again.

I don't often write notes, but this was weighing on me.

Tonight it was announced that Osama bin Laden was killed.  Initially, I found this exciting but for some reason I was filled with uncertainty.  Bin Laden had killed thousands and deserved death so we should be excited, right?  There were many on Facebook and elsewhere that were celebrating and I understand that this brings some closure for those who lost loved ones in the 911 tragedy and the resulting wars.  Although it is a relief to know that this evil man will not cause any further death, all I feel though, is a deep sadness for the entire situation. 

Bin Laden was an evil man who did hideous things, but that does not make his death worth celebrating any more than we would celebrate the death of his victims. Death is never a thing to be celebrated regardless of whose it is.

The universe and all that is in it is the masterpiece of the Master Artist. He created something beautiful, and loved it enough to let it choose whether or not to love him back.  We chose not to. Now, because of our decision, His creation is tearing itself apart, and as his creation suffers, so does He.  He doesn't have to.  He could have simply wiped the slate clean and begun anew, but instead, He chooses to suffer with us even as we reject him. 

God weeps with us as we weep for those murdered in the 911 attacks.  God weeps with us as we weep for those who have lost their lives in the war.  God weeps with us as we weep over the anguish which surrounds us. 

And God weeps for Osama bin Laden as we celebrate his death.

When we murdered Christ, his blood bought the forgiveness of the entire world.  Whether we choose to accept that forgiveness is up to us but this doesn't change the fact that God deemed our lives valuable enough to purchase with his own blood.  When we celebrate the death and suffering of one whose sins were paid for by the blood of the Son of the Most High, we spit on His gift. 

God weeps over that too.