Two Lessons We Can Learn From the Elliot Rodgers Retribution

A young twenty-two year old man goes ballistic and kills seven people in California, taking his frustrations out on innocent women whom he projects his anger and frustrations on. I watched and listened to his Youtube message and was disturbed by the wrong inference people can take away from it.

Here are two lessons we must never forget:

First, People Can Become Easily Offended at God When Their Expectations Are Not Met.

Elliot had a warp view of life. He expected to be like everyone else he knew – sexually active with the ladies.  He wanted to be loved and sought love in the wrong areas. 

Some Christians have an idea that if they give their life to Jesus, only good things will come after. During the earthly ministry of Jesus, He had just fed 5000 with a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread and lots of people are following Him.  So, having given a physical miracle, Jesus does what He normally does afterwards – He gives a spiritual meaning to it.

John 6:54ff --  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.⁵⁵ For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.  He was speaking to the Jews.  This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹ He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

⁶¹ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?

Some were following Jesus for political, material and social reasons. When their expectations were not being met by Him, they got offended and left angry. These same people later took out their frustrations on the One they were offended with and shouted, “Crucify Him!” (John 19:6).

The wrong expectations will lead a person down the wrong path. Imagine if you will, if Elliot’s expectation was to be a virgin until he got married?  Imagine if he made it his goal to save himself for the woman he married? I know, sounds bizarre, right? That’s exactly my point.

“Since everyone is having premarital sex, so should I!”  

“Since all my friends have girlfriends giving them sex and love, what about me?”

Thus, having the opportunity to lose one’s virginity is considered a right and virtue. When such is not achieved, one’s expectation of this perceived “right” and “virtue” is experienced as frustration. Anger then sets in and builds up. It now becomes someone else’s fault for my right to have sex not be actualized.

Yet, when you think about it, Elliot was in the best possible place to be in. He was a virgin at the age of 22. He survived college.  He has a successful father as a Hollywood director. He was driving around in a BMW. The best gift he could give to his wife to be would be himself in all purity. “I saved myself just for you.  While everyone else around me are giving themselves away to whomever wants it, I kept myself just for you!”

Where do we find this taking place? Only in rare instances! It is the norm to enter a marriage experienced in sex.  Yet, when you sleep with your spouse, all the other people you have slept with also become part of the experience.

People will listen to Elliot’s Youtube video and go away thinking that all this person wanted was the fulfillment of his expectation which was his right to have sex. By not having his right fulfilled, he took it as personal rejection by others and became angry with them. Little did he realize that he was in a place and situation that many would love to have been in, but because of poor personal choices, the opportunity has been lost forever.

Some people become offended at God when their expectations are not met.

Second, Some are Offended at God for the Blessings He Gives to Others.

Make a mental note of this - Don’t get offended when God blesses someone with something he has not given to you.

Mark 6:1-3 - Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. ² When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? ³ Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

  

These are people who knew the family of Jesus. When Jesus began to teach and heal, they ask, “Who gave to Him such things? Where did that authority come from? We know him.  Who does he think he is for telling us these things?”

You know what’s going to cause you to stumble? When you come across someone who is blessed more than you. Listen, you will not be offended at God for the blessings of Billy Graham. You know why?  You cannot relate to him, because you do not know him. But when God blesses someone you know and can relate to, it will move you to be offended at God and your perception of the person will change.

You will be tempted to think in some way, their blessing is your curse.

Your kids will be happy opening up their Christmas gifts until they run outside and see what the neighborhood kids got. You will be happy with the car and house you’re living in until you ride in someone else’s car or visit someone else’s home.  You think, “Good nite, doesn’t her husband work at the same place my husband works? I attend church more than she does. I have a ministry, she doesn’t. What’s going on here?”

Learn this:  God’s blessing on others is not your lost.  But watch this: Your offense at God’s blessing on others will be your lost.

With Elliot Rodgers, we see how having the wrong values will lead down the wrong path.

Two important lessons, I leave with you:

First, adopt biblical values to govern your life, so that your expectations in life will be sound and normal and not develop into a warp sense of “personal rights.”

Second, don’t live a day offended at God over something or someone you struggle with. There are three kinds of people in this world: The Elliot Rodgers, the people watching the news and those who died.  Today, we may be the ones watching the news. Tomorrow, we may be in it.   Make sure today you and God are tight. Your only legitimate right is the right to lay aside your right and enter into a personal relationship with Jesus your Lord!