Q: Would the Bible condone the mass suicide that took place at Masada?
A: No, I do not think God, or the Bible, would condone mass suicide, like the one at Masada, or an individual who takes their own life. When you realize that our lives are like "a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14)" something very stressful must be taking place in order for someone to end their own life. However, I do believe God is a sympathetic God who understands the pain and fear that usually accompanies people committing suicide. If you consider what those who committed suicide at Masada endured it is understandable why they did what they did. After the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the surviving Jews fled to Masada where they held out for three years. The Jews were aware that the Roman Legion that was attacking them would eventually breach their defenses at Masada. The choices available to the Jews were slim and none. They could either be captured by the Romans where the men would be enslaved and the women would be enslaved and sold into prostitution or they could commit suicide which was strictly forbidden by Jewish law. The decision couldn't have been a comfortable one to make.
One main reason that I don't believe God condones suicide is because suicide is sin. I don't believe a holy and loving God would even encourage, much less condone, sin of any kind. However, there are those that believe suicide is an unforgiveable sin. This is because they say a person cannot repent of their sin after committing it because they are dead. But, what is suicide? It is murder; self-murder to be exact. Is murder a sin? Yes. Did the death of Jesus Christ take away that sin for all eternity? Yes. In fact, "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12)." Christians have eternal redemption, the forgiveness of sins for all eternity. We could not have eternal life without it. Otherwise, there would be a sin that could cause us to lose that life. And eternal life is not eternal if it can be lost. Suicide does not separate one from the love of God. I know from personal experience that there are times when life can get us down to the point where all we want to do is die. This is not something lost on our God. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15)."
Imagine, for a moment, what must have been going through the mind of Jesus leading up to His death on the cross. I am sure as He was being tortured for our sins He wanted nothing more than for it to end. I am not saying He would have committed suicide, but I am sure He was tempted with the same thoughts as those at Masada, or any other individual who has contemplated suicide or committed it. God knows what we go through and understands the hopelessness that we can experience during our lives. Even the Apostle Paul struggled. "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life (2 Corinthians 1:8)." Granted, neither Christ or Paul committed suicide, but we can see from their experiences that the pain and suffering that leads one to take their life was not lost on them. However, those who died at Masada can help us understand a deeper truth about God.
The struggles one endures that leads them to decide to kill themselves are the same struggles that make us all call out to God. The effects of sin on us and the world around us can lead us to asking why is all of this happening? And that is where the pain and suffering of our lives can actually serve to benefit us. I am not aware if any of the Jews that took their lives at Masada were Christians. But, I am sure that everything leading up to that moment served to get all the Jews involved focus on God. Nothing makes one focus on the things of the Lord and eternity like imminent death. When you know your life is about to end you know all that awaits you is the afterlife. For a Christian we have the hope of eternity and would "prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8)." For an unbeliever the opposite is true. And, quite frankly, an eternity separated from God is a fate worse than death. God does not condone suicide, but He allows the troubles in our lives to break us down to the point where we call out to Christ for salvation. Perhaps, when we enter Heaven we will meet some of those from Masada who accepted the Lord in their final moments on earth. After all, we know that, in His love for mankind, God is patient "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)." Yes, even those who took their lives at Masada.
No comments:
Post a Comment