Oh yes, that’s the verdict. God is indeed innocent of the senseless deaths and destructions in our world today. God is life in itself. God is the giver of life both temporal, mortal life and eternal life.

God is not only innocent of death and death-dealing elements, God is above death for God is life. That is why the commotion, weeping and even ridicule of the crowd at the house of the synagogue official disappeared once Jesus “took the child by the hand” (Mk.5:41). God conquered death and opened the door to life for all of us.

When we step into the shadow of death for the love and sake of others, we take upon us a vicarious suffering that brings redemption to many; we take upon us the task of opening the door that has been locked against such people due to the cycle and structures of injustice in the world. The death that comes in many shapes continues to destroy lives and communities, but as image of God are life-giving agents that should imitate God in bringing life to one another. Mutual destruction through envy and power contest destroys us all. All we need is love that conquers death, that renders death powerless and non-scary in order to put the devil in his proper place.