The unfolding case of the death of Reeva Steenkamp is
proving a tragedy on so many levels. As much as I sympathise first and foremost with the family
of Reeva Steenkamp who are knowing terrible suffering through no fault of their own, I
find I also feel very grieved for the man at the centre of it all, Oscar Pistorius. It's not that I am saying he is innocent, for it seems that at the very least he has led a ungodly and reckless
lifestyle whilst at worst it may yet transpire that he did kill his girlfriend in
a fit of anger. But it’s just that the case seems to highlight so vividly the
devastating, miserable consequences of sin.
The most obviously tragedy, clearly, is for Reeva Steenkamp
and her parents. Death is always unnatural but a child dying before their
parents is particularly evil - and violent death especially so. Then there is
also the tragedy that is South Africa - a
society awash with firearms, where everyone lives in fear of violent crime. For
that reason, it is difficult for people in the relative safety of Britain to
judge the actions of Oscar Pistorius when we have no experience of living in that climate
of fear.
And what about the evils of the cult of celebrity and a
society that is so quick to set people up on pedestals, only to gloat over
their downfall? Oscar Pistorius was rightly celebrated and applauded for his
extraordinary achievements. Who did not rejoice with him when he finally ran for his nation in the main Olympics in London 2012? It is just a tragedy that our society ‘rewards’
people with things that do them harm, whether by ruining people with more money
than they can cope with, moving in celebrity circles where certain forms of
temptation are rife, giving people a sense of being immune to the usual
expectations of society or exposing them to the temptations of materialism. The
world has a vicious way of repaying its heroes, and is subsequently unwilling to
acknowledge the part they have played in someone’s downfall, placing all blame
squarely on the individual.
And then there is Oscar Pistorius himself. However Reeva
Steenkamp’s death came about, no-one observing Pistorius during the bail
hearing or the trial itself could doubt that he is a man absolutely distraught
at what happened. Whether his distress represents regret at a terrible mistake
or the bitter agony of having harmed someone he loved in a fit of mindless
anger remains to be seen, but he seems to be a man almost undone by remorse. I
think it is that devastating sense of regret, of being unable to turn the clock
back, of having ruined your own life as well as that of others and known it was
your actions which were responsible – a momentary decision - that makes the
pictures of Oscar Pistorius in the dock so distressing to observe.
But that is what sin does. It ruins and spoils and destroys, and
causes harm to all in its path, both innocent and guilty alike. That is why,
without detracting from the suffering of the family of Reeva Steenkamp’s family,
it is possible to feel real grief for Oscar Pistorius even if he is guilty as
charged. We are grieving at the fact that sinful acts not only harm their victims but
destroy the perpetrator themselves. If it eventually does transpire that he did
kill his girlfriend in a fit of anger, many of us may find we can identify with
those feelings more than we perhaps care to admit, for Oscar Pistorius would
certainly not be the only person in the world whose temper could flare out of
control or who had done destructive things in anger that were painfully regretted
afterwards. Perhaps we may even feel that it is only through the grace of God
and not having the temptations around us that Pistorius had that our anger has
not had such terrible consequences.
The chief perspective of the press, of course, has been on
the ending of a career of such remarkable achievements and which hitherto hadbrought about
so much good. Pistorius’s demise, though, would be more complex than that of people like Lance Armstrong whose past achievements have been rendered completely fake. What Oscar Pistorius did before Valentine's Day 2013, he did well – a fact which, if
he did prove guilty, would only make his demise more tragic.
By far my greatest sadness, however, is not that Oscar
Pistorius was someone who achieved so much in the face of such huge
disadvantages but in fact that he was born with great advantages and appears to have thrown
them away. For Oscar Pistorius was apparently born into a Christian,
Bible-believing home. He is known as being ‘deeply religious’, praying before
races, and has 1 Corinthians 9:26 ‘I do
not run like a man running aimlessly’ tattooed on his back. But for all his
portrayal as a religious man by the press, and for all his family background, Pistorius’
lifestyle suggests that he himself does not possess a serious biblical faith, with reports describing unbiblical relationships with women and a high octane,
ambitious and materialistic lifestyle. Even the verse he has tattooed on his
back has been misquoted in support of his personal ambition. For this reason
above any other, the Pistorius case saddens me because it reminds me of the great spiritual peril of those who choose the ways of darkness when God
has graciously blessed them with so much spiritual light.
So, things look bleak for Oscar Pistorius from a human
perspective. But whether he is guilty of murder or only of neglecting the God
of his youth, there is always hope of forgiveness and new life in Christ Jesus through repentance and faith. God has ways other than Olympic glory of making a life count, even on the inside of prison walls.
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