On Bad News, Charlie Kirk, September 11th, and the Crucifixion

“A plane just flew into the World Trade Center.”

“Charlie Kirk was shot.”

These are announcements of bad news that affected us all in some way, on a national level.

But maybe some of you can’t remember 9/11.  And maybe some of you weren’t super familiar with Charlie Kirk.  

Still, you’ve still received your share of bad news.

“Your mother was rushed to the hospital.  They don’t know if she’ll make it.”

“They’re calling the family in.”

“There’s no heartbeat.”

“We’re letting you go.”

“It’s cancer.”

“I’m no longer a Christian.”

“I don’t want to be married to you anymore.”

This world is an ocean of bad news, and it’s a question of when, not if, you will receive your own personal version of it.


I remember exactly where I was when I heard about the World Trade Center.  And I remember, of course, exactly where I was yesterday, when I heard the news about Charlie Kirk.  And I have no doubt that if you have received any of the bad news listed above, you remember where you were when you received it.

This is a world of bad news.  And these days, we don’t just hear bad news, we see it.  As a 13 year old, I remember the pit in my stomach that I felt as I watched the horrific scenes on the news 24 years ago.  The screams.  The smoke.  The shock.  

And, while I didn’t see the disturbing video of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, I trust that many of you did.  I did see the frenzy and the panic that ensued among that crowd of mostly young people after that shot rang out.

This is a world of bad news, because this is a world of sinners.  Because this is a world of sinners, it is a world of suffering.  A good world made by a good God has become a world full of bad news perpetrated by bad people.

What’s incredible to consider is that our good God entered this broken world.  Have you thought much about the fact that Jesus received bad news?

Consider John the Baptist.  I think John the Baptist would’ve really liked Charlie Kirk.  John the Baptist went around calling out evil and pointing people to Christ.  And it got him killed.  It’s hard to not see a parallel.

Matthew writes:

“He (Herod) sent and had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus. Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.”

“Jesus, they killed John the Baptist.”  

Jesus, God in the flesh, received bad news.  Like we did yesterday.  Like we did 24 years ago.  Like you all have so many times in your own life.

It would seem pretty reasonable to assume that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, would respond to such news with an almost defiant tone, offering up an immediate pearl of wisdom that turned everyone’s grief Godward.

But what did He, the King of Kings, do in response to this bad news?

He withdrew.  To a desolate place.  By Himself.

We often, and rightly so, think about the fact that Jesus would walk that calvary road on our behalf, would bear such great pain and shame for our sins.

But what about the fact that He would subject Himself to a life in which He would allow Himself to be emotionally affected by bad news, just like we are?  He is indeed a great high priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses.  

Consider another example.

“Lord, he whom you love is ill.”

This was the bad news concerning Jesus’ friend Lazarus. Jesus received the bad news that many of you have received:  your loved one’s life is in jeopardy due to sickness.

When Jesus finally arrived, He learned that His friend Lazarus had died.  Jesus, of course, knew that He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead.  Still, we read:

John 11:33–35 (ESV)
33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”  35Jesus wept.


Jesus received bad news.  And Jesus saw bad news.  And, even though Jesus knows better than anyone about the resurrection hope we have -  He wept.

Why do I say all of this?

Because, in the midst of your pain, whether it’s a national tragedy or a personal one, I want you to know it’s okay to withdraw for a bit.  To weep.

I want you to know we serve a God who took on human flesh.  Who entered this broken world so full of bad news.  


And why?

Yes, to sympathize with us.  To weep with us.  To identify with humanity.

But He didn’t merely come to sympathize, He came to save.

He did not merely enter earth to cry, but to conquer.

He did not come to earth to merely bear the burden of a broken world, but to bear the sin of broken people.

He took our sin upon Himself, and died in our place, and rose to life on the third day in triumph, ascending back to the Father’s right hand, declaring His victory over sin and satan.

In a world of bad news, we now have the best news.  


We, believers, are good news people in a bad news world.  We are bearers of the light in a world gone dark.  We have the antidote of truth in a lie-infected society.  


Jesus did not merely withdraw.  He did not merely weep.  

He pressed forward, and bore the cross, “for the joy that was set before Him.”

So, too, we cannot merely withdraw, though it may be right to do so for a time.  We cannot merely weep, though we should seek to “weep with those who weep.”

We cannot surrender - not to the evil around us, nor to the evil within us.  

But what does not surrendering look like in practice?  How do we respond rightly to the evil and suffering in the world?

I offer a few humble suggestions, though certainly not exhaustive.  Maybe this will provide a place to start.

Preach.

Charlie Kirk was shot dead under a banner that read: “Prove me wrong.”   His crime was promoting truth in an age of lies.  

Our society is growing increasingly dissatisfied with “proving” anything through dialogue or the exchange of ideas.  For one evil individual, the way they would “prove Charlie wrong” and shut him down and up for good was with a bullet.  

This is how the world has always reacted to the truth.  Maybe not with a bullet, but always with opposition.  The sinful human heart does not want to hear the truth about God, and righteousness, and judgment, and grace.  We hate it.  We resist it.  

This opposition has been there since the beginning.  Simply read the book of Acts.  Read church history.  Read the story of martyrs around the world today.  

This is a world of sinners, under the sway of satan.  But Jesus calls us, invites us, commands us to go out into that world with His light.  With His good news.  Under His authority.  For His glory.

“But I’m no Charlie Kirk, and I’m not a public speaker or preacher, and I’m most certainly no John the Baptist.” you may say.  What does it mean for me to preach?

It means you talk about Jesus where you work.  

You speak about how meaningful church is in your life.  

You teach your kids the Bible.  

You send verses to other members of the church that you think will encourage them.  

You ask friends and coworkers meaningful questions that could potentially highlight areas of contrast, or disagreement, with the aim of sharing who Jesus is and what He has done for you.

It means you leave Christian books, or even your Bible, out where people can see it, in hopes that they ask about what you’re reading.

It means you call out evil, unafraid to say what’s true about the sins of our society, no matter what the consequences are for your reputation or even your career.  

It means, when someone asks your opinion about a hot button topic, you respond with biblical truth, not people-pleasing passivity.

And to preach in a biblical way means we do all this with a certain mixture of tenderness and toughness that catches the world off guard.  

We do this in the power of the Spirit, with the fruit of the Spirit.  That means we are bold and courageous but happy and patient.  That means we call out the demonic without demonizing our opponents.  

We have the best news in the world!  And that is news meant to be announced, heralded, proclaimed.  



Pray.


Yesterday, just hours after Charlie Kirk was announced dead, an argument broke out in Congress about the need for prayer.  This isn’t unsurprising.  The phrase “thoughts and prayers” has long been derided by those who don’t believe in God, or truth, or the Bible.

And while we would never openly minimize the power and effectiveness of prayer with our words, I wonder if our actions match our beliefs?  Do we pray like people who believe in a God who hears prayer?

“Pray for our country” is a phrase I heard so much growing up that I honestly grew to resent it.  It seemed so cliche, so empty.  It was often tossed out there by people who I deemed to be less than truly genuine in their desire to see a spiritual revival in our nation.

But the fact of the matter is this:  all great revivals in history were preceded by great prayer.  This is because, as Jonathan Edwards said:

“When God has something very great to accomplish for his church, it is his will that there should precede it the extraordinary prayers of his people.”
 
Do you believe that?  Do you believe that your prayers for coworkers, friends, our church, your country, and the unreached could actually lead to conversions, transformation, and revival?

Let’s pray like the gospel is true.  Let’s pray like God loves to answer prayer.  Let’s pray as if God actually wants to save sinners and glorify His name and use us to advance His kingdom.

Persist

The change we all want to see happen in our hearts, homes, nation, and world won’t happen overnight.  That person you’re trying to reach with the gospel may not have their big “aha” moment the first time you share the gospel with them.  

There is a reason the new testament so consistently uses agricultural metaphors to describe gospel ministry.   Let me remind you of a few:


1 Corinthians 3:6–7 – “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

Matthew 9:37–38 – “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Galatians 6:7–9 – “Whatever one sows, that will he also reap… let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

We plant, water, and watch.  The harvest is plentiful, even in this bad news world, because the harvest is God’s.  

Preach.  Pray.  And wait patiently.  God will give growth.  


Providence

Okay, so this is less about what we do, and more about who God is.  

In all this - in receiving bad news, in working to announce good news - remember that God is in total control.  He is not coming behind the mess, trying to think of ways to clean it up.  He is at work in the mess, getting glory and preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.

Joseph was sold into slavery, essentially left for dead by His own brothers.  And, as you know, at the end of his story, He finds himself in a powerful position, used by God to save the chosen people.  

And his brothers, those who sold him into slavery, are rightly afraid that their now powerful brother will pursue vengeance.  They beg for His mercy towards their evil, and he says:

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

The brothers meant something for evil.  But God meant something for good.  

It’s important to note that it is the same word for “meant” in both phrases.  Somehow, in a divine and mysterious providence, God was actually at work in the midst of an evil act to bring about a greater good as the brothers were perpetrating a great evil.

And, if this gives your brain some trouble, it would be understandable. But I would point you to the words of Peter:

“This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”

Many people meant evil against Jesus.  But God meant it for good. God was at work in the messy evil of the cross to bring about a glorious and gracious salvation for His people.

This is the anchor in our boat when suffering comes our way.  Maybe we don’t know all that God is doing when planes fly into the twin towers, or when Charlie Kirk is publicly murdered, or when John the Baptist is beheaded, or when we receive devastating news.

But, this we do know:  the greatest evil ever committed, the murder of the Son of God, was planned by God for our eternal salvation.  

This is the good news from heaven that conquers all the bad news this world could ever offer up.  It is this good news we hold to.

It is this good news that points our hearts heavenward, to an eternal, fixed, unfading hope of glory.  

Christian, this world is as close to hell as you will ever get.  Jesus is alive.  He has canceled our record of debt.  He has disarmed the demonic powers.  He has all authority. He is able to use even the most satanic sins for His glory.

He is coming back.  And when He does, as He says in Revelation, He will make all things new.