The Cost to Kill
Many have undertaken to calculate the cost to governments and/or tax payers to kill a single enemy combatant. For instance, it’s been suggest that it might have cost less than $1 to kill an enemy soldier in the time of Caesar, possibly as much as $2000 during the Napoleonic wars, nearly $20,000 during the First World War, and double that by the Second World War. By the time of the Vietnam War, the US had spent about $168 billion (equivalent to nearly $1 trillion today!) on the war effort, resulting in a “kill cost” of approximately $170,000 per downed enemy.
In contemporary terms, it’s hard to calculate the cost to kill, since the US government will not fully divulge the true cost of our “modern” and highly technologically driven conflicts in the Middle East and our war on Terrorism. It has been suggested, however, that it might cost as much as $50 million per enemy combatant vanquished.
As high as the cost to kill an ememy might be, it will never be as high as the cost that God was willing to pay to save those who, through disobedience, had become His enemies. That's because every single enemy combatant that God has redeemed cost Him the life of the Son of God.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
Radical Forgiveness Is What the Cross Is All About
Just before Valentines Day, the sporting world was shocked to learn that double amputee, Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius (popularly known as the “blade runner”) allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a 29 year old South African model. Following the tragedy, Reeva’s uncle Mike Steenkamp made a refreshing statement saying, “I would like to meet Oscar Pistorius and forgive the man who killed my niece. That way I can find more peace with the situation.” He told CNN’s Drew Griffin that he would forgive Pistorius whether the shooting was an accident or not. “Whatever, whatever the outcome. I feel with my belief and if Christ could forgive when he died on the cross, why can’t I?"
What a courageous statement! When I hear such things it makes me think that this world is not so bad afterall: There are some who still believe in the message of forgiveness. The world needs this message so desperately.
While Jesus was hanging between life and death on the cross, he said. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Why did he choose to forgive even those who ordered His execution? He did so because it was his mission to forgive. It is no less ours.
It is not easy to forgive, yet radical forgiveness is what the Cross is all about.
What Murder Does To You
Recently, a friend of mine sent me a list of statements from murderers now incarcerated in the Marquette State Prison in Marquette, MI and the "I Max" in Ionia, MI. These were recorded in the course of his work as a mental health professional/licensed therapist in the Michigan Prison System.
"I was like God having the power of life and death...they would do my bidding for me not to pass judgment on them to die..."
Death is for real...watching death come, is watching a vapor vanishing into the air…"
"I realized this life taken was not mine to take; the stain of another's soul is always on mine."
"Once you crossed over to committing murder, you have forever stained your memory of another's life; cheating God's plan."
"The result of murder changes everything - you are poisoned emotionally, psychologically, socially, and spiritually."
In some ways murder has become common and even ordinary–or so it seems. We read mystery books about murder. We hear about murder on our news shows. We watch murders on TV shows like Castle, NCIS, CSI, Law and Order, Psych, The Mentalist, Revolution, The Walking Dead, Bones, Hawaii 5-0. The truth is that even though the idea of murder has become part of our entertainment culture, most of us really don’t understand what it does to people.
"And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar." (Matthew 23:35).