My brother was murdered. Many people know this. Many don’t. Just over a decade ago my brother and one of his closest
friends were brutally murdered. It was not quick. It was horrible and gruesome
and disgusting. The case was
strait up out of CSI or Law & Order or something. I need to make this clear. It was planned, pre-meditated and
carried out from beginning to end with all the precision they could muster.
I am thankful every day that the amount of precision they
could muster was very little. Authorities caught them relatively quickly and
all but one took a plea deal that allowed them to be eligible for parole in 50
years or so. The other, the ringleader, went to trial and went to prison for
life. The jury convicted in less
than 30 minutes. It was a horrible time in my life. I wished they’d all die. I
hated them; I wanted them to suffer. I was pissed that the state didn’t go
after the death penalty but I took solace in the fact that prisoners in Texas
die faster in the general population than they do on death row. In that, I
found great comfort.
It has taken over a decade (and a lot of therapy) to get to
the point of relinquishing my hate.
It has taken me this amount of time to realize their value as humans on
this planet and the realization that they are human and have feelings and
emotions and are worthy of God’s love.
Now, don’t get it twisted, I don’t want them out of prison. I suppose in
many ways I haven’t even forgiven them and don’t particularly feel inclined
too. Yet, given the option, I would not put them to death. Not now, not
ever.
You see, death is such a permanent thing. We are such
impermanent beings. And in that way, making permanent decisions doesn’t sit
well with me. Despite my feelings when I was younger, I realize now that I believe
the death penalty to be inhumane. Beyond that, I believe that if I choose
retribution over justice or revenge over acceptance then I have lost my way as
a Christian. If I choose an eye
for an eye instead of turning the other cheek than I have allowed myself to be
ruled by an old law that is absent of love instead of remaining present in
Jesus’ assurance.
The majority of those that read this will know John 3:16 but
it is John 3:17 that rings true for me.
It states, “For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the
world but to save it.” If I am to be a follower of Christ’s teachings then I
cannot, in good conscience, condemn these men to death. So I accept that they
suck. I applaud my justice system. I encourage those around me to step away from
words like “he deserves to suffer” and “well that’s karma for you asshole”
because that man who was put to death may have been awful, but he was human.
Since he was human he was worthy of God’s love and because he was worthy of
that love he is worthy of acceptance and justice.
Now I know what you’re thinking, “but this IS justice.” I
disagree. Justice is a human ideal
with human application. When we
choose to make permanent decisions on impermanent beings we have stepped out
justice and into the shoes of God.
There’s all that and then there’s the realization if Jesus
was alive today I don’t think He’d like it either.
