“The Vegas
shooting: Not an excuse but maybe an
explanation - Hurt People Hurt People.”
Everyone is asking, “How could someone kill all these people
and then kill himself?” No doubt only
God knows. This question is so complex
that even the most trained psychologists may not be able to provide a
satisfying answer. However, I want to
offer some possible answers, and once again, God’s Word helps us.
In Mark 5 Jesus encounters a man who is so troubled,
demonized, and harmful to self and others that he was living in the tombs,
cutting himself, overcome with mental and emotional anguish, and even exhibiting
supernatural strength such that he could break free from chains. This oppressed
man likely hated himself and others, and would have today been diagnosed with
all kinds of mental, social, psychological, and spiritual disorders. Had he
gone to a doctor, he would have been put on all kinds of medications, and they
might have helped. But Jesus loved him
and did something to him no one else could do.
Jesus sets him free by casting the many demons out of him and into a
herd of pigs to be drowned. A side note:
it is good this didn’t happen today or Jesus would have likely been arrested by
the animal rights’ people for animal abuse. Anyway, after this amazing act of love and
power by Jesus, the troubled man was set free, clothed and in his right mind. We see in this story how Jesus did indeed come
to set the captives free. The Good News
is that Jesus is more powerful than Satan and still does this today, for those
who call upon Him for help and deliverance.
I see a lot of similarities between the demonized man in
Mark 4 and the Las Vegas shooter. I am
not even going to mention his name because I am opposed to giving him any more
attention. I offer the following
possibilities to the Vegas shooting:
1.
His father was a very sinful and sick man (i.e.,
bankrobber). The bible says, “The sins
of the forefathers are carried to the 3rd and 4th
generation.”
2.
He probably never received much love. Those who don’t feel love have a hard time
giving love.
3.
He was a loner and thus more susceptible to the
lies of the enemy.
4.
He mistreated his girlfriend, and this often has
roots in self-hatred.
5.
He was likely very bitter at others and life,
and this makes someone want to hurt others.
Hurt people hurt people. “The wages
of sin is death.”
6.
He was looking for life and meaning in all the
wrong places: money, gambling, and sex. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God.”
7.
He likely had a very poor self-image, and at the
core hated himself and thus hated others.
Hurt people hurt people.
8.
His mental and emotional pain likely made him want
to put that same pain on others. “They
might as well suffer like I am. I sure
can’t stand to see all these thousands of happy people at a concert. They don’t deserve to be happy while I am in
misery.” Satan will indeed feed people
lies like this to lead them to “steal, kill and destroy.”
9.
Therefore, once he decided to end his own life,
he figured he might as well take down others with him. Hurt people hurt people.
10. As
sick as this is to all people of sound mind, he may also have wanted to do
something that would put his picture before the whole world to somehow validate
his worth. This is why I am personally
opposed to the news showing the picture of people who do such things.
11. John
10:10 says, “Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy.” Satan is ultimately behind all acts of evil
like this. One thing I am certain
of: this man was clearly demonized at a
very severe level, likely at the level of the demonized man in Mark 5.
The good news in the midst of this horrible tragedy is the
rest of John 10:10, “But I (Jesus) have come that you might have life and have
it more abundantly.” The love and power
of Jesus can transform not only a person like this, but anyone who is hurting.
I may be off in some of the explanations, but I am not off
in the solution. Whatever is hurting and
troubling you today, Jesus wants to help you. He loves you; He created you; He
died for you; and He rose again for you.
Turn to Him with whatever pain you have.
He can do for you what no one else or nothing else can do. He came to set the captives free. I just wish this man had turned to Jesus. A
lot more people would be living today had He done that.
