Horrific triple-murder suicide

MercuryNews.com | 08/19/2005 | Murder-suicide suspected in dead family of 4 in San Mateo

The first email I read this morning was written by our CEO informing us of the horrific death of one of our colleagues, Nicole Richards. I didn’t know Nicole nor even seen a picture of her. As I shared the news with my wife, she chillingly reminded me that I may have shared an elevator ride, walked past her in the cafeteria, or even parking garage.

This morning’s news was a sobering and chilling reminder that death’s shadow is all too near. Tragically in the case of the Richards family it was a financial burden that caused the husband to lose all hope and decide to take the lives of his family and his own.

Not surprisingly, many lunch conversations swirled around the subject of today’s news including my own. As I spoke with a co-worker today, I asked him point blank, “what do you think happens to people when they die?”

He immediately knew where this conversation was heading. He tried to answer it as best as he can without trying to offend me or brush me off, but essentially it was a typical post-modern answer — “I guess to heaven if you believe in heaven.” So I responded by saying that his answer was pretty scary. Not knowing for sure was a scary bet to take. It was left to subjective factualism. Our conversation led to the cause of why people commit suicide and I tried to say that I believe its simply lack of hope. The sin of selfishness is at its height in the act of suicide. I don’t claim to know the intimate details of the Richards family nor any other suicide victims, but I know that nothing is ever so bad that taking one’s life is the right answer.

Hope. The assurance of hope. That topic in our conversation led to the Gospel. I attempted to explain that biblical Christianity offers the only real hope to a dying world. Jesus said

THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD. (Luke 4:18-19 c/f Isa 61:1)

No matter what degree of oppression, burden, misery this world brings you — Christ came to set you free from its bondage. Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean you won’t be poor, won’t be oppressed — sometimes many Christians face even more oppression and even more hardship. But what Christ says he will do is free you from your oppressor’s captivity. As His children, we are no longer in bondage to our woes. Christ gives us hope knowing that after this life he has prepared a place where there will be no more dying and no more tears.

What’s interesting in the Luke 4:18-19 account compared to the Isa 61 passage, was Jesus purposefully omitted the next verse from Isa 61:2

and the day of vengeance of our God;

We are living in that age of Grace where Christ has yet to return. Right now He offers Himself as Savior, but there will come a time when He will return and His offer as Savior will be no longer. Instead His return will be as Judge.

Although my friend was not persuaded, I am grateful for our friendship and for oppurtunities to share the truth of Christ. I’m praying for my friend to come to the saving faith of knowing Christ not as a mere man, nor an abstract God, but the God-man, Jesus Christ who came to die on behalf of sinners that His death would atone for the sins of those who place their faith in Him.