Depravity

Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil (Proverbs 2:12).

In 1888, five prostitutes working the streets of Whitechapel were murdered and mutilated.  The unknown assailant came to be known as Jack the Ripper, and was never been identified or caught.  Since then, over 150 non-fiction books have been written about the mystery.  Shockingly, at least two toy companies have produced collectible figures based on Jack and his victims.

In 1957, Ed Gein was arrested on suspicion of murder; when his home was searched, authorities found that he had for years been digging up new graves for human skin, which he tanned and used for lampshades, upholstery, and even clothing.   Perhaps even more disturbing, the owner of a sideshow carnival bought the car Gein used to transport the bodies, and charged admission for people to see the "Ed Gein Ghoul Car"

In 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested after a man he tried to abduct managed to get away and summon police.  Dahmer’s apartment contained vats of acid and severed heads in the refrigerator.  He later confessed to committing rape and experimenting with cannibalism.  Incredibly, two musical groups named themselves in tribute to Jeffrey Dahmer, and his legacy is referred to in the lyrics of at least 11 different rock and rap songs.

People are fascinated by watching victims suffer.  Look at how many crime dramas are currently on TV.  Why are they so popular?  Do people watch them to see good triumph over evil?  Do viewers fantasize about being the brave police officer or the smart detective?  Or is the draw something else?  Do people watch crime shows because they get a thrill from watching the crime being committed? 

The thrill of watching a victim suffer is not restricted to just physical abuse.  Most high schools have cliques—groups of kids who make sarcastic remarks about those who don’t dress fashionably or who have no athletic ability.  Most neighborhoods have residents who are quick to comment on the failings of the person living next door.  Late night TV comedians are sure to get laughs when they tell jokes that ridicule others. 

Do you like being in the middle of drama?  Do you enjoy hearing gossip and passing it along?  Are your favorite jokes the kind that make fun of other people?  Do you get pleasure from watching another person squirm as they try to deal with a difficult or painful situation?

Mankind has a long history of finding pleasure in the pain of others.  In ancient times, Roman citizens would fill arenas and cheer at the spilling of human blood when Christians were fed to wild animals.  During the French Revolution, citizens would eat lunch in the city square as they watched members of the aristocracy die by having their heads chopped off.  In our own day, there are people who slow down to stare at the scene of an accident.  There are many who get a thrill from violence in their sports, whether it be a brawl at a hockey game or a bare knuckles boxing match.  We even see it in our schools, when a child tears the wings from a fly and then watches it stagger in pain, or when a crowd eggs on a fight between two fellow students. 

Of course, most of us are more civilized than that.  Seeing blood is disturbing—unless it is the fake blood spurting in video games.  Watching people beating each other to a pulp is just plain sick—unless it happens during the final act of a movie.  There’s nothing deviant about enjoying that type of cruelty—after all, it’s just make-believe.

But who doesn’t enjoy seeing someone put in their place by a snide remark?  How many of you like hearing or telling ethnic jokes?  When you’re bored at a party, isn’t it fun to tease someone just to get a reaction? 

There are times when all of us are cruel.  How many times did you squeal on another kid, just because you wanted to see that annoying little twerp get punished?  How many times have you refused to forgive others, because you enjoyed how desperate they were to get back on your good side?  How often have you found satisfaction in saying the words “I told you so”?

We see a disturbing example of cruelty during the long hours of Good Friday.  When Jesus was brought to the Roman governor for trial, He was turned over to the ‘tender care’ of the soldiers under Pilate’s command.  These were professional fighting men, stationed in Palestine to ‘keep the peace.’  But they did not fit in; they did not share the religion of the natives, they were not fluent in the local language, and they were greatly disliked by most of the people.  As a result, they were bored and resentful—they had few outlets for experiencing a good time.  So when Jesus was given into their custody, it was a rare chance to blow off steam and have a few laughs.  First, they stripped Jesus of His clothes in order to humiliate Him.  Then, since He claimed to be a king, they decided He must have a crown—so they braided a hoop of thorns and jammed it on His head, making blood drip down His face and into His eyes.  A king also needs a royal robe, so they rummaged through their belongings until someone found an old cloak that they could fasten around His neck.  But the picture of royalty was not yet complete—something was still missing.  With a snap of the fingers, one man grabbed a wooden staff and thrust it into Jesus’ hand—His royal scepter, symbol of power over all His enemies! 

So there Jesus stood, the man who claimed to be King of the Jews, the rightful ruler of a bunch of hicks living at the edge of nowhere!  This Jesus was a king of rabble, and outside in the courtyard those very Jews were screaming for His death!  It was just too much—the soldiers had to laugh.  Laugh at how ridiculous it all was.  Laugh at these sorry vermin who dared oppose Rome’s superior culture and military might.  At first they bowed to Jesus, claiming to honor Him even as they snickered.  But Jesus did not give them any satisfaction—He did not cower in fear or plead for mercy.  Such behavior was infuriating—how dare He ignore their power over Him?  So they snatched the staff from His hands and gave Him a terrible beating to put Him in His place.  Others spit in His face to show what they thought of Him.  And through it all, no one objected to this behavior, no one ordered them to stop or sent for a superior officer.  When we think of the Abugrave prison scandal or photos of dead Taliban being urinated on, we realize how little things have changed in 2,000 years.

Frankly, I don’t understand why we like to see others tortured physically or mentally—but I know that we do.  History proves it; the nightly news proves it.  But it only goes to show how different we are from God.  Yes, He does allow bad times to come into our lives, to shake us out of our self-absorption and draw our eyes towards heaven.  Yes, God does send people to hell if they reject His love, as it is offered through His Son.  But bringing grief to mankind is not something God takes pleasure in; Jeremiah wrote, He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.  God delivered the following message through Ezekiel: “I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!” 

For God, suffering has always been a means to an end.  Jesus underwent the worst suffering of body and soul imaginable to achieve the most important goal of all.  Our sick fascination with pain and suffering has earned us God’s terrible punishment, but Jesus suffered that punishment so that we could be spared from what we had coming.  Jesus accepted cruel and degrading treatment out of love for us. 

How do we step back from cruel behavior?  Perhaps we can draw inspiration from one of Jesus’ illustrations.  In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus spoke of the Day of Judgment—remember these words? Then he will say to those on his left, `Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'  They also will answer, `Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'  He will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'    Our Lord is clear: every time we see a person who is hurting, we should respond as if it were Jesus Himself waiting for our love.

Things change if you put Jesus in the picture.  Would you tell a bigoted joke to a group of friends if one of them was Jesus?   Would you steal a car and run down pedestrians in a video game if one of those bloody victims looked like Jesus?  Would you download a song about mistreating women if you were going to loan Jesus your iPod?  If someone came to you asking to be forgiven, would you smirk and say you’d think about it, if Jesus were standing there listening? 

If you want to take the pleasure out of seeing others in pain, you’ve got to start with Jesus.  Pray to Him—ask Him to forgive you and to free your heart from sin’s control.  Ask Him for the willpower to turn away from looking at cruel images; ask Him for the strength to walk away from mean-spirited conversations.  Ask Him to fill your life with other pleasures, things that are good and pure and uplifting. 

It’s easy to be cruel to someone you don’t like.  It’s easy to get a thrill from seeing bad things happen to a stranger.  In order to neutralize such pleasure, ask Jesus to help you look at the victim with love.  We are all God’s children; no one should be treated as an object for our pleasure, or an enemy who deserves our mistreatment.  Jesus said: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  The writer to the Hebrews cautions us: Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 

Family, friends, strangers or enemies—regardless of who they are, God wants us to show loving care to everyone.  Jesus suffered on the cross to bring us release from suffering; far be it from us to find pleasure in the suffering of anyone for any reason!