Cadences of God

In John 8:2-11, Jesus famously is in the presence of a crowd of people who are about to kill a woman for adultery. It is worth mentioning that even though we feel in our present cultural circumstances that such a punishment is totally inappropriate, this was not the case in the first century (nor for many centuries after, as well). Adultery was considered a threat to stable clan-based and tribal communities. Even the Bible sanctioned death for adulterers in Leviticus 20:10.

 

Jesus does not allow the execution to take place, however. Not because she is innocent. She is not. Even Jesus admits it. He does not even stop the execution because he feels the Old Testament law is wrong. He does not mention it one way or another. He statement – “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” – implies that if a person came a long without sin then it might be permissible for them to cast a stone. So, in principal, he is not even abrogating the Law of God.

 

No, in the end, he seems to be enforcing the principal that servants of God should avoiding hypocrisy in practicing their faith, and most especially when they are doing something in the name of the God they serve. This principal arises several times in scripture (famously in Luke 12:1).

 

Perhaps it might be right to execute someone for some reason, but we are equally worthy of death for the great crimes we have undertaken. And so, if there is punishment to be met out, it ought to be met out by the One without sin – Jesus Christ alone. Not by me. Not you. Not any government.

 

In our culture, the death penalty is most often put forward for murderers. I think Jesus would remind us that we are all complicity in killing people or letting them die. Every day we do nothing while the innocent are slaughtered in Darfur; every day we gorge on food while millions starve; every day we buy the product of peoples working in sweat shops working themselves into early graves; every day we fail to pay for and send to those who need them, simple and cheap medicines that kill millions; every day . . . every day. And none of this is beginning touch on the bad that each and everyone of us has done in our own lives- our betrayals and hurts of others.

 

None of us ought to be condemning others to death. None of us are righteous enough for so awful a task.

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 By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer Thu Nov 15, 6:02 PM ET 
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - It’s not easy for Richard Hawke to support the death penalty. The retired Methodist minister knows that his church opposes capital punishment. And he knows what scripture says about forgiveness.

But when he looks at a photo of his daughter, Hawke remembers the intruders who strangled her and killed her two daughters last summer in their suburban home.
Hawke, 76, and his wife have struggled with the issue, confiding in friends, searching the Bible and praying. He said he told a prosecutor: “These people had no right to continue to live in society.”

The United Methodist Church opposes the death penalty, but Hawke said it allows for individual conscience. He described himself as an opponent of capital punishment, with some exceptions for cases involving rape and children.

Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, and her daughters were held hostage for several hours before they were killed. Hawke-Petit’s husband, Dr. William Petit, was beaten but managed to escape the house, which the attackers were accused of setting on fire.

The young girls — Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11 — were tied to their beds and died of smoke inhalation. Investigators said gasoline was poured on and around them. Hawke-Petit and one of her daughters were allegedly sexually assaulted.

“I don’t think people can imagine the terror that went through the lives of these three women during the hours they were held hostage,” Hawke said of the July 23 attack.
“Our kids weren’t just shot,” he added. “They were tortured and terrorized. I couldn’t get past that.”

Hawke-Petit, who did not know her assailants, was taken to a bank during the ordeal and forced to withdraw $15,000.

Two paroled burglars — Joshua Komisarjevsky, 27, of Cheshire, and Steven Hayes, 44, of Winsted — are awaiting trial in the slayings. If convicted, the men could be executed by lethal injection.

The Hawkes said their daughter’s family was generous and socially conscious, often raising money for multiple sclerosis. Hawke-Petit, a nurse, suffered from the disease.

“They represented everything that was the opposite of those that took their lives,” Richard Hawke said by telephone from his home in Venice, Fla. “They were the epitome of good, and the others were the epitome of evil.”

Jennifer’s mother, Marybelle, said she is opposed to the death penalty but worries that the suspects could eventually be released from prison.

“I think the crimes they committed have merited the loss of their lives or lifetime punishment,” she said. “I would always prefer for there to be lifetime punishment, but I don’t have enough faith in the justice system that they would be held to lifetime in prison.”

Richard Hawke said he could accept a life sentence, noting that the death penalty would take years to carry out.

Hawke-Petit’s church in Cheshire has actively opposed the death penalty, handing out so-called “declarations of life” that members can sign to express their opposition to capital punishment, even if they themselves were slain.

The Hawkes believe their daughter picked up a declaration, but they are unsure if she signed it.

“No one can positively say they saw her sign that and give it back to anyone,” Richard Hawke said, adding that she may have taken it home. “It’s probably burned up in the fire.”
The Hawkes are focusing on fond memories, including visits by their granddaughters to their Florida home. The family enjoyed trips to a wild animal park.

“We’re really grateful we had the number of years we had with them,” Richard Hawke said. But, he added: “We will be in a type of prison for the rest of our lives because of the loss of our loved ones.”

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I found out in today’s local paper that a New Jersey State Senate committee is slated to consider replacing the death penalty with life imprisonment without parole this Thursday. This is, in part, the result of a report filed by a special commission appointed by the Legislature which found that killing inmates costs taxpayers more than paying for prisoners to serve life terms and further concluded the death penalty does not deter people from committing murders.

This means that, while many states have reinstated the death penalty since capital punishment was reinstated 31 years ago, New Jersey could become the first state to abolish the death penalty.  The Senate report included only practical considerations: cost and deterrence. However, moral and spiritual considerations are not out of line, even for the New Jersey Senate. 

I offer some reason why I, as a Christian, find capital punishment objectionable, as so ask that this practice be ended.

1. As someone who serves a Lord and Savior who was unjustly executed by the state (1 Peter 1:19), I cannot ignore that this trend has never ceased. Between 1973 and 2005, 123 people in 25 US states were released from death row when new evidence of their innocence emerged. While it is debatable how many have been unjustly executed, it is certain at least some have.
   
2. As a Christian I believe that all have an opportunity to seek reconciliation with God up to and at the moment of our last breath. By greatly shortening the natural life span of a person, we deny time to repent, witness to the wrong done, and serve the Lord in blessedness.
   
3. If the life of the murdered person is of infinite worth, the person being executed is no less a person of infinite worth. The secularist might argue that such a murderer forfeits their right to life, but no Christian can argue that a person forfeits their eternal worth before God. As a Christian, there is no escape from this logic: it is no less a murder to execute a murderer and murder is forbidden to us (Exodus 20:13).
   
4. Most, if not all, inmates suffer severe mental distress due to their impending execution. As a Christian, I believe this violates the Lord’s commandment to love others as he loved us (John 13). Jesus died for us, not us for him.
   
5. Every time a person is murdered, the earth cries out because of their blood (Genesis 4). When their murderer is killed for that crime, the earth cries out no less. Capital punishment only creates more victims.
   
6. Every major Christian denomination condemns the death penalty. As a Christian, I bow to the leadings of the Spirit in the community. When one Christian hears the Spirit it is prophecy; when almost all hear it, we call it divine revelation.
   

 

 

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