“When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us, and charged us with spying on the land. But we said to him, ‘We are honest men, we are not spies. We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’ Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. Bring your youngest brother to me, and I shall know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will release your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’” As they were emptying their sacks, there in each one’s sack was his bag of money. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed. And their father Jacob said to them, “I am the one you have bereaved of children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has happened to me!” Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” Genesis 42:29-37

School Shooting Number 10:

“Another high school has turned into a scene of carnage, this time in western Kentucky. On January 23, sixteen people were shot, two of them fatally, after a shooter opened fire Tuesday morning at Marshall County High School, authorities said. Four others sustained various injuries. A 15-year-old male student was arrested at the scene, Gov. Matt Bevin said. On Wednesday he was charged with two counts of murder and 12 counts of first degree assault, Marshall County Assistant Attorney Jason Darnall told reporters. After the boy has a probable cause hearing and a detention hearing in the next two days, prosecutors will start the process of charging him as an adult, Darnall said. A grand jury will meet on February 13, and the charges could change, Darnall said. Authorities identified the slain victims as Bailey Holt and Preston Cope, both 15. Bailey died at the high school, and Preston died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, according to Kentucky State Police Commissioner Richard W. Sanders.” (Kentucky school shooting: 2 students killed, 18 injured, by Holly Yan, AnneClaire Stapleton, and Paul P. Murphy, CNN, January 24, 2018)

CNN reported recently that a grand jury indicted the 15 year-old shooter on two counts of murder and 14 counts of first-degree assault – and he will be tried in court as an adult. That still does not deflect the unshakable fact that children are shooting children – and then being tried as adults. Now, tell me, who is going to feel better about this decision? Will the parents of the young man accused of these atrocities feel better that he will be tried as an adult? Or will the parents of the children who were killed feel better that they will get some revenge? How about the public? Do you feel better that he is being tried as an adult?

If the young man is being charged as an adult, then I wonder if they will release background information about him as would happen with an adult charged with the same crime? And if they release information about his life, I wonder what we might learn about his trials and tribulations that might give us some clues about a motive. But I doubt that information will ever come to light – because he is not an adult – he is a teenager. So in one manner we treat him as an adult, and in another we treat him as a child. And in the irony of it all, we are still left wondering why this young man was so angry.

When was the last time you were really angry – so angry you thought you might actually hurt someone? Was it last night, last week, last month, last decade, last millennium? How did you deal with the anger? Did you call someone and talk it out? Did you go to the gym to get some exercise? Did you clean the house, wash the car, walk the dog? Or, did you decide to take out a gun and kill someone?

When did we lose the sanctity for life in this country – in this world?

In the reading above, certainly Joseph’s brothers were not poster children for how to deal with anger. But in the end, they did change their minds about killing their brother. Why? Because one of the brothers, Reuben, convinced them to spare his life – and eventually he is sold into slavery. (Genesis 37) In other words, someone from the family stepped in and was able to bring some clarity into a dark situation. And in the end, love and forgiveness would eventually bring this family back together. Anger has a way of poisoning our minds – while love can be a great healer. That understanding of love and forgiveness becomes a challenge to us all when we consider loving someone who has committed such an atrocity as the shooting at Stoneman Douglas? In the weeks and years to come, it seems we will have that opportunity to contemplate that thought more and more…..

Pastor Dave