And its true; we may never know.  But this is not hard, and we can be reasonably confident what the motive was–at least what the most likely motive was.  It’s the same motive that drives many people, on many different issues.  This includes most young people that currently support same-sex marriage, as well as Christian youth at CU:  we all want to be part of a cause that is bigger than ourselves. This can be a tremendously healthy thing; young people that get set on fire for the gospel is very positive.  When I went off to the Air Force Academy in 1981, it was to be part of something that stood up to what was later to be called the evil empire.  I was willing to sign up to something that might cost my life, for a greater good.  Many of the young people that come to our university go on mission trips–some to dangerous areas where they could come into harm.  They are willing to do something that may lead to harm because there is a greater good at stake, and they want to be a part of that.  Tonight I’m heading to the airport to pick up my daughter who is returning from El Salvador.  While not a super hot spot, it was with some trepidation that I dropped her off six weeks ago, as El Salvador can be very dangerous in parts.  But I knew it was worth it–presenting the gospel in action is always worth the risk.  So even family support structures can be behind this broad urge that many young people feel.

Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez is almost certainly no different–a young man that wanted to be part of something bigger than himself, and willing to die for it. But not all motivations to be part of a bigger purpose are positive.  As a young muslim man, the call to jihad is the likely motivation–we certainly know it is a motivation for many young muslim men that are answering the call to ISIS from around the world.  Will we ever truly know?  Perhaps not.  But it is the most likely conclusion–one that the media is most reluctant to say.