Fingerprints of Darkness

“Therefore Jesus said again, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’” (John 10:7-10 NIV)

It is a familiar and very sad pattern.  It happened at Columbine, Virginia Tech, and many other places in the past two decades.  Gunmen make elaborate plans to kill people, either those they know or complete strangers, carry out their intentions, and then kill themselves, or attempt to do so.  And it happened again yesterday.  

As we know now, a former co-worker gunned down two journalists during a live, early morning interview.  The gunman was described as disgruntled and troubled by those with whom he had worked.  It seems he had been planning the shooting for several months.  And after fleeing the scene, he was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound from which he later died.

Many have and more will blame this latest shooting on the mental state of the killer, or on the availability of guns, but few will point the finger at the culprit whose fingerprints are clearly present at this crime and those similar to it.

Jesus describes his MO (modus operandi) as one who steals, kills, and destroys.  Satan is a “murderer” and the “father of lies". Wherever he has reign, havoc, destruction and death follow.  We most clearly see his work in the Nazi concentration camps, the “killing fields” of Cambodia, and the genocide in Rwanda, but if you look closely, you will see it in yesterday’s murders and others like it in the recent past. And you will clearly see it in the Bible in the life of Judas.

He was one of Jesus disciples, in charge of the money given to support Jesus’ ministry.  What a privilege he had to be a part of Jesus’ inner circle!  But the joy of that honor was stolen away.  Whether as a result of personal slights leading to deep-seeded grudges, greed, or some other unknown reason, Judas became solely focused on betraying Jesus into the hands of His enemies, which led to His murder and havoc among His disciples. And the whole tragic episode ended with Judas hanging himself.  Sound familiar? 

People today have a difficult time blaming the devil.  Instead, they look to social causes or mental illness to blame.  But Satan has been playing the same game since Cain and Abel. Where there is mass murder, revenge killings, suicides, and other tragedies, you can bet his fingerprints will be found at the scene, because we live in the midst of his kingdom.  He is the prince of this fallen world.  

But while he does have rule in this world, there is a King and a Kingdom that is greater and more powerful (John 14:30).  While Satan has only death and destruction to offer, the Lord Jesus offers abundant life. Imagine if Jesus, instead of Satan, had ruled in the heart of the murderer of those journalists or other killers.  Would the result have been the same?  Of course not.  For Jesus gives joy instead of hate, peace instead of chaos, and hope instead of despair.  Thus, as followers of Jesus, our mission is to proclaim the only One more powerful than the prince of darkness, for He is the only solution to the havoc, destruction, and death that Satan seeks to inflict upon us.

Today, know that the One who is in you is greater than the one in the world (I John 4:4). All the more reason to spread the word to a desperate world that hope and a fulfilled life can be found in Him!

© Jim Musser 2015