30 Jan, 2008
San Francisco Zoo Tiger Attack Victim Admits Drinking, Taunting Animal, Police Say
SAN FRANCISCO — One of the three victims of San Francisco Zoo tiger attack was intoxicated and admitted to yelling and waving at the animal while standing atop the railing of the big cat enclosure, police said in court documents filed recently.
Paul Dhaliwal, 19, told the father of Carlos Sousa Jr., 17, who was killed, that the three yelled and waved at the tiger but insisted they never threw anything into its pen to provoke the cat, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.
"As a result of this investigation, (police believe) that the tiger may have been taunted/agitated by its eventual victims," according to Inspector Valerie Matthews, who prepared the affidavit. Police believe that "this factor contributed to the tiger escaping from its enclosure and attacking its victims," she said.
photo courtesy san francisco zoo/ap & story foxnews.com, 1/18/08
Tiger on the loose!
Luke 23:33-37 (The Message)
33When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.
34-35Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them; they don't know what they're doing."
Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, "He saved others. Let's see him save himself! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen—ha!"
36-37The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine: "So you're King of the Jews! Save yourself!"
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about taunting?
Simply put, Jesus received the ultimate in taunting and responded with an attitude of forgiveness.
God answered Christ's prayer to forgive His taunters by opening up the way of salvation to everyone, even to those who crucified Him.
BUT (there's a lot of these in scripture), every single person ever born eventually must face the fact that the tiger has been loosed!
Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah, is gracious and forgiving, but will some day judge the "living from the dead". Those who have received Christ's forgiveness will live with God's family forever and those who have not will live in eternal separation from God's love. God's amazing grace is His gift of love...even to those who taunt Him and His followers.
The taunted tiger at the zoo was not very forgiving and it resulted in death. Our taunted Savior is very forgiving and people can escape certain death.
If we are taunted for our faith in Christ, will we forgive? It may result in new life!
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
- Ask Jesus to give you His attitude toward anyone who taunts you.
- Confess any way in which you have taunted others and receive Christ's forgiveness. Go to them and ask for forgiveness.
How can we connect today's story and God's Story scripture to the lives of others?
- Look around at what is going on at your school, at work, at church and at home. Taunting is often a form of real injustice. Ask Jesus to give you both the courage and compassion to defend those who are being taunted. Get ready, because this will be noticed and give you opportunities to learn the stories of others and connect them to your story and God's Story.
- Use today's story about the young men taunting the tiger as a conversation starter about taunting with your friends and family who need Jesus. Ask them for their opinions on the story. See if God gives you the moment to talk about the ultimate story of taunting - when Jesus hung on the cross.
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