Shortly before Thanksgiving break, Timothy Konstantin, a student on John Brown University’s campus, expressed thoughts of harming himself and possibly others. Friends that Tim confided in alerted JBU authorities who in turn notified the Siloam Springs Police Department. He was found to be in possession of firearms and had explosives off-campus, but was taken into police custody without incident.
Many on campus have expressed concern over what could have happened if Tim had carried out his plan. We the Threefold understand and recognize that these events produced a reaction of fear in the JBU community, but we also believe our response should not be one of ignorance or hatred. Tim, while he will probably only be remembered for this one event, is a complex person made in the image of God. We the Threefold want to emphasise that he should be remembered primarily as such.
A couple weeks after Tim was peacefully escorted off-campus, a student, Ana Magallon, helped organize a few people to write him letters of encouragement. When asked, she said Tim was still a person, that Tim was still our brother. We the Threefold agree with her, and invite you to do the same.
When the Lord came to the earth, He did not come for the healthy, and, compare to Him, none of us are healthy, and when He came, He came not to be served, but to serve. We the Threefold Advocate remind you that no man is good, not one, and we beg your grace and prayers for this man.
The Lord came knowing death was waiting for Him. When He condescended to this earth, He came knowing His cross would be stand at the end. Despite the danger, despite the coming pain, He came anyway.
And more than this: He sat with lepers and ate with whores. He broke bread with the blind and deaf. He spoke to the unsettled and unsound; He slept during the storm; He walked into the wilderness; He called liars, thieves, lame, lost, dead and dying. When the Lord came to us, He came to show us how sad we all are. When the Lord came to us, He came to show us how much we need Him, and so it is for all of us, and so it is with Tim.
We want to validate the concern students and faculty may have toward this situation, but would also like to remind them that our sovereign, all-knowing God has a plan and a purpose for everything that happens, or in this case, doesn’t happen. The Lord let’s no feather fall to earth without His knowledge. He sees every danger surrounding all of us, and He will do what He knows best. We the Threefold Advocate want to remind you of God’s eternal, immanent presence. May He hold Tim and all of us.
We also want to recognize the heroism of Tim’s friends who reached out to campus personnel. We know that what you did was not easy. Thank you for being selfless and choosing to help your friend by confiding in others who were able to get him the help he needs.
We the Threefold encourage you to pray for Tim and his family in this time of fear and unknowing, and invite you to see the Sprit here, for when the Lord came, when Jesus came, He left us a gift: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”