Anyone who believes in the
providence of God must also affirm that God is able to make good out of evil. This
does not mean, of course, that all things are good. This would be to deny that
evil exists. Rather, we simply acknowledge that God is able to use the awful
things that happen in this world to bring about a good result.
I remember vividly the first time I
heard about the 21 Coptic Christians killed in Libya by Islamic terrorists. I know
enough about human history to know we are capable of doing horrendous things to
each other. However, to see that picture of these human beings lined up for
their slaughter generated empathy for them and anger at the terrorists.
It was early in 2015. Coptic Christians
are the largest Christian community in the Middle East. It remains one of the
oldest continuous branches of Christianity in the world. They trace their
church back to Saint Mark, who introduced Christianity in Alexandria, Egypt,
just a few years after the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The terrorists took these Coptic
Christians hostage and executed them because of their faith in Jesus Christ.
The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, released a video of the killings titled,
"A Message Signed with Blood to the Nations of the Cross." ISIS
clearly wanted to send a message to Christians around the world, to residents
of what they call "the Nations of the Cross."
However, like the people who killed
Jesus, they did not know what they were doing. Instead of weakening the
Christian faith, they strengthened it.
The 21 men who were murdered were
working on a construction job as tradesmen. All were Egyptians except for one.
He appears to have been a young African man, perhaps from Chad or Ghana. A
Greek Orthodox bishop said that the executioners demanded that each hostage
identify his religion. Under threat of death, they could have denied that they
were Christians. Instead, each of the Christians declared their trust in Jesus.
Maintaining their faith in the face of evil, the terrorists beheaded each man. The
Coptic Church also has a Pope at its head, and he named these persons as
martyrs and saints in the church, commemorating the date of their execution as
their feast day. Pope Francis, soon after their execution, offered these words:
“ [T]he blood of our Christian brothers
and sisters is a testimony which cries out to be heard… It makes no difference
whether they be Catholics, Orthodox, Copts or Protestants. They are Christians!
Their blood is one and the same. Their blood confesses Christ. This is not to
minimise differences, nor to turn a blind eye to them. However, in dying for
Christ do such divisions among Christians retain real relevance? In dying for
Christ one has become the perfect disciple, and enters a real communion with
Christ’s Body in heaven. ”
The bishop, named Demetrios of Mokissos,
describes this crime as "a grotesque example of the violence Christians
face daily in Libya, Iraq, Syria and anywhere that ISIS prosecutes its
murderous campaign against anyone it deems an infidel." Nevertheless, as
horrible as these executions were, the story has an unexpected and
inspirational ending.
The young African man who was with
the Egyptians was not a Christian when they captured him. However, when the
ISIS terrorists challenged him to declare his faith, he replied: "Their
God is my God."
What a statement! "Their God
is my God."
After hearing those words, the
terrorists killed him. Nevertheless, in that moment, the young man became a
Christian. Jesus said to him, as he said to the man on the next cross,
"Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise" (v. 43).
Bishop Demetrios concludes,
"The ISIS murderers seek to
demoralize Christians with acts like the slaughter on a Libyan beach. Instead
they stir our wonder at the courage and devotion inspired by God's love."
The terrorists who killed that
young man did not know what they were doing.
A year later, another Bishop Amba
Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church, offered these words:
"These men paid the ultimate
price, but gave us a cause to advocate for all those persecuted; they also
showed us that there was a level of evil that we must all stand in solidarity
against, and a level of courage, faithfulness and defiance that we must all
aspire to."[1]
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