THE DARK KNIGHT vs THE BRIGHT KNIGHT

It has happened again. At the premier of the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, a man committed the largest scale mass shooting of innocent people in United States history in Aurora, Colorado. Now Colorado has the dubious place in history as the place where two of the most notorious murderous events have occurred with today’s theater attack and the school massacre at Columbine in 1999. It is a constant and repeated reminder of the presence of evil among us though many fail to acknowledge it. This blog and article is targeted to a Christian audience that joins in heartfelt prayer for the victims, families, and responders to the Aurora shooting. However, as Jesus reminds us, we also pray for the shooter and his family.

While this writer will not name the shooter to give such a person any fame he may desire by his evil actions, it is important to remind us of four things for disciples of Jesus:

1. Who is the real dark knight?
2. How may disciples respond to this evil?
3. What we must do to cherish each moment?
4. Who is the Bright Knight?

After this article was posted,  I viewed the movie Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, and also heard of some other people that committed violence during or after seeing the movie. The movie left this writer with an uneasy feeling that the movie overly empowered the bad guys, even if the good guys win in the end. Is there a point where a movie for entertainment pushes the limit and blurs the lines of reality and fantasy, and twisting evil into good and good into evil?

WHO IS THE REAL DARK KNIGHT?

In the Batman series the Dark Knight, Batman is one of the good guys, a sort of super hero who saves Gotham City. During the Middle Ages, knights emerged as a class of lower nobility and were largely considered to be the good guys among their countrymen. However, the real Dark Knight in the world today is not the good guy but is the evil one who attempts to fool people into thinking he is an angel of light when in fact he is the dark angel. 2 Corinthians 11:14 says, 2 Co 11:14-15 “For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” NKJV We can expect things he does to appear to be good or to have acceptable motives at first but the result is always evil, confusion, sin, and bondage. If we knew the final result of the work of Satan, few people would join his crusade.

HOW MAY DISCIPLES RESPOND TO EVIL?

Christians need to respond to the victims of the Aurora, Colorado shooting with love and selfless works of help. Christians will join together to assist the victims with monetary gifts and blood donations. Christian love is often revealed behind the scenes as we find unique ways to help the victims and community. Some families may provide food and shelter for those forced out of their apartments by the actions of the shooter.  Prayer for all involved will go far to heal the wounds.

We seem to fail to see the connection between the continual retreat of Christianity from the public square and the increase of crime.

This event reminds us of the real presence of evil in our world. As bad as evil is it often brings out the best in disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “³⁴A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  ³⁵By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jn 13:34-35 NKJV

Responding to evil by love identifies you as a disciple of Jesus.

WHAT WE MUST DO TO CHERISH EACH MOMENT

Tragic events whether natural or man-made can take the life of a cherished loved one instantly. While we are reminded of the presence of evil, we are also shaken by the brevity and fragility of life. We must learn to cherish life by living it to the fullest. I am reminded of the words written by Mark Batterson in his book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day:

“Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-size goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop criticizing and start creating. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshiping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. And remember: If God is for us, who can be against us?” –Mark Batterson, Pastor Nat. Community Church

Batterson’s words apply not only to faith but also to living life with our loved ones to the uttermost.

WHO IS THE BRIGHT KNIGHT?

Jesus Christ is the Bright Knight or more correctly, the King of Glory. The Bible often pictures Jesus Christ as clothed in the brightest white. Jesus said of himself, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12 NKJV) We take comfort in knowing that Jesus wins the victory over sin, evil, and Satan. We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus the Christ as we love people through tragedy such as that of the shooting in the Aurora theater. We must not forget the evangelistic spiral created by tragedy. For a short time people affected by evil will be receptive to the salvation message of Jesus as revealed through authentic relationships with Christians. The spiral winds down and the individual may no longer be interested in salvation. We must seize the opportunity to share Christ in a genuine manner to all people but especially victims of tragedy. The time may be short.

In the battle between the Dark Knight and the Bright Knight…Jesus wins!

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Questions:

1. What is your reaction to the Aurora theater shooting?
2. How does Satan try to copy God in the Bible?
3. How may you help the victims of the shooting?

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Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of RENOVA Coaching and Consulting, LLC. He is a pastor, author, professional coach, leadership specialist, and is a member Coach/Teacher/Speaker for the John Maxwell Team

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