The Evil of Killing Innocent Children

Peter Paul Rubens, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

I remember seeing a disturbing clip from a movie about the life of Jesus, one of the many shown each Christmas and Easter season. During the early life of Jesus, King Herod ordered the murder of all boys two years and younger (Matthew 2:16-18).

It is a prophetic echo from Jeremiah the prophet when he foresaw the destruction of Jerusalem hundreds of years prior to Herod (Jer 31:15). Herod orders the killing of these innocent children out of his own self-absorbed anger and jealousy. It was pure evil.

Remembering this stirs up reflections on the senseless and evil killing of innocent children that happens too often. When these heart-wrenching tragedies occur, they grab center stage in the news media for a time.

But the impact on the parents, children, and communities who witness these atrocious and evil acts doesn’t fade as it does for the media. It also doesn’t fade or go unnoticed by God.

How can we fix this?

A lot of debate develops over how to fix whatever problems cause it all and how to prevent such tragedies. I hear three general themes or issues through all the rhetoric that follows these wicked events—gun control, violence in movies and gaming, and mental and moral health management.

Gun control debates continue with some good points raised. We typically hear two responses raised. Gun ownership is a right according to the Bill of Rights, and when the government even slightly diminishes a right, it becomes a slippery slope to more erosion of that right. Okay, I get that.

But the 2nd thought is this—guns are instruments of destruction, pure and simple. That's their purpose, whether it's a target, an animal, or a human being. Yes, they can be a deterrent and means of protection (self-defense). And yes, restraints on those with evil intent, whether individuals, groups, or nations, need to be established.

But, the ultimate question is—how much is enough before we resolve this dilemma?

America has a violent culture. This obsessive fascination inundates our culture—movies, TV series, digital games, cartoons, etcetera, and so on. This level of interest in violence isn't healthy. Just ask the many men and women of the military returning from active war environments, to whom we owe a debt of gratitude.

This could also become another issue about personal freedom. But is it really? Do we really need all this violent input involving zombies, vampires, and people who take the law into their own hands?

Our culture glorifies violence, plain and simple. And if we think it doesn't have a lasting and impactful influence on our psyche, then we are in serious denial, or perhaps a self-inflicted delusion.

Deeper down

The third general theme of discussion forms around people with mental health issues and the general moral compass of our culture. This gets much closer to the core issue. But alas, we can only legislate morality to a point. We can put laws into effect, but they won't change people, no matter how well enforced.

How about the prevention of violence by the mentally ill? First, who determines which people are at risk of violence? How does one go about doing this?

It's a rather impossible task to accomplish. Too many variables and factors are involved, and the bigger issue would be those in contact with whoever they consider potentially dangerous. Dr. M. Scott Peck looked into this issue in his book, "People of the Lie."

It is difficult to discern who is bent towards violent, evil acts. Ultimately, it's a people problem. All of us have a certain capacity for doing terrible things. It's our selfish human nature. When self-indulgence and self-exaltation (and other self-absorbed characteristics) go unchecked, anyone can become self-destructive, and this could spin off into violence toward others.

A cursory view of un-rewritten history (without political bias) brings the reality of human evil into sharp focus. It is easy to blame tyrants such as Hitler, but what about the many people who played a part in his spectacle of evil? The problem of evil is an internal one. Whether or not we choose it, it coexists in our world with moral, ethical, and spiritual goodness.

External restrictions and controls will never fix this problem. It might slow it down a bit, for a while, but it won't solve the problem. It requires a change in human nature. An internal change. One impossible for humans to bring about on their own.

Can we fully understand the power and nature of evil? Perhaps not. Even so, it's real. When innocents are killed it is incomprehensible, regardless if it takes place at an elementary school, in a war, a public place, or in the region surrounding Bethlehem.

The truly innocent One

The story of King Herod's senseless, brutal massacre stems from jealous insecurity after he heard of a newborn King of the Jews (Jesus). But this innocent child escaped his terror.

Later, willingly, Jesus submitted Himself to the murderous plot of Jewish leaders and the complicity of a Roman ruler. Even at 33 years old, Jesus was still innocent—sinless.

Jesus sacrificed His innocence (sinlessness) for man’s lack of innocence (sinful nature). This is the only solution for evil—an internal change, a change of inner nature. Only by trusting in Him and His work of redemption upon the cross can we hope to escape the power of evil.

Will it remove evil from the world? Not until a person’s heart changes and they receive a new nature (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

I look forward to the day when God will end evil's reign for good (Rev 21:1-4). Until then, I must continue resisting evil in my own life and spread the message of the only solution I know.

I choose to look beyond the killing of innocents to the only One I know to be truly innocent. He is the judge, not me. He is the One who will resolve all things in His time (Eccl 3:16-17).

How will you process senseless violence? What will you or can you do about it? It is your choice, as it is for each of us. A choice we need to make daily.