Today’s Scripture Reading (October 5,
2017) Luke 8
Kim Jong Nam, the older half-brother of North Korea’s
reigning Kim Jung Un, was assassinated by a very public chemical attack on
February 13, 2017. His death was apparently an early Valentine’s present from
his younger brother. But part of the mystery about
the assassination is why bother? Kim Jong Nam
was the heir apparent for the North Korean regime until a fallout with his father in the early 21st
Century, but in recent years had shown no inclination to try to reclaim his
throne. The fallout appears to have been caused
by either Kim Jong Nam’s failed attempt to take his family to Tokyo Disneyland
which caused his father much embarrassment or, according to Kim Jong Nam,
because Nam wanted to take North Korea in a radically different direction. Kim
Jong Nam remained a critic of his younger brother’s regime and action throughout his
life in exile. And maybe that was enough to want him dead.
Another
contributing factor might have been that the two brothers had no relationship
with each other, in fact, it is believed that
they had never met. They were kept separate to ensure the future of the Kim
regime. Kim Jong Il, the father to the
half-brothers, wanted to make sure that no single attack could take out both of
his heirs. So maybe Nam’s opposition to the North Korean regime of his younger
brother and the lack of a relationship between the two men facilitated the
assassination. But why did it take place so publicly and in such a clumsy manner? There must be a reason.
Some argue
that there was a reason – or that actually
there was a message being sent with the
assassination. In this case, Kim Jung Un felt needed to horrify the world, and
instill fear into the minds of those who doubt his power. This was the message behind the assassination of
Jong Nam. Kim Jung Un does not just want a voice on the world stage, he wants a
voice among the superpowers, and instilling fear is one way he believes that he
can get that voice. The public murder of his brother was just another stepping
stone along a path to the North Korean leader finally obtaining the influence
that he believes he deserves.
We all send
messages every day. And a message must be public. I have been a critic of
social media, even though I am deeply involved in the medium. My argument has
been that I do not believe that we know how to use the medium. The truth is
that maybe we understand all too well. While I would prefer that we use social
media to provide encouragement and support for
each other and to keep in contact with
friends from times past, even I occasionally let a negative message slip through.
I have often counseled people that if
they really feel that they have to write
that nasty message, to do it in Word and save it in a folder of nasty messages that we can go back and read
once in a while. Just don’t post the message– or send the e-mail. In the end,
that public declaration only makes circumstances worse.
But a
message saved in the folder that no one
else will ever read is not really a
message. A message is public. Or in Jesus words, no one lights a lamp and then places
it under a bowl, or somehow covers up the light. That would be stupid. It would
be better just to keep the lamp unlit. Our problem is that too often, like Kim
Jung Un, we are seeking to send the wrong message. We want to hurt and cause
pain because our heart is in the wrong place. We believe that it will help us
get what we need, but instead, the
message just speaks volumes about our insecurities. We have forgotten to value
each other in a very public. Instead, we decide
to tear each other down.
The Jesus
message, the one that Jesus wants us to go public with, is filled with love, encouragement,
and support. That message of love is the one that should never be hidden because that is the one that we all
need to hear. The rest is white noise that needs to be ignored made up of messages that should never have been sent.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Mark 5
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