I have no overly legal or theological reasoning as to why I don't like the idea of it, I just don't. It just doesn't sit well with me. I also don't really understand how one can be pro-life and pro-death penalty. The conversation always seems to disintegrate into someone accusing me of being pro-choice or pro-complete and blanket release of anyone on death row. I don't really know how to engage in those conversations most of the time and it's ok with me that people disagree with me.
But one thing has stood out to me throughout these conversations. That it's about what people deserve. Babies don't deserve to die and convicted killers do. I'm not arguing that babies deserve to die. My contention that even convicted killers deserve to not have their life taken away doesn't immediately negate the fact that babies don't deserve to die. To draw that conclusion is just not listening to anything I have to say.
But whether I have a valid argument or not I've been thinking about that word deserve.
Deserve: To earn by service; to be worthy of (something due, either good or evil); to merit; to be entitled toI deserve. We deserve. Sometimes I just feel so...entitled. What if we really got what we deserved? What if when we sped we were caught and punished every time. What if when we lied, even the whitest most innocent lie it was apparent to everyone? What if every bad thought, every thought that flutters through our minds in a moment of anger, lust, jealousy, hurt was brought to the forefront and were were dealt with in a way we deserved? What then?
Sure, it's murder versus lying and speeding. You can say that it's apples and oranges. But why is it really that different? In what way do we dole out the judgment we think people deserve every day, not just in criminal trials? Is that ok, better, because it's on a much smaller scale? Whose scale are you measuring things by anyway?
How often do you withhold affection from your spouse or kids because they've hurt your feelings? When is the last time you didn't answer that call from your friend because you just didn't want to deal with their drama anymore?
Because it's what they deserved because they hurt you first, because they made you angry, because they invite the drama into their life, because they make stupid decisions and obviously are beyond your help?
Ok.
Has anyone ever done that to you? Has anyone ever stuck it to you because they decided that's what you deserved? How did that feel?
I don't know the right super duper Jesusy words to say about this to make sense in words what I think in my head. But I know that I withhold grace and compassion from people for stupid reasons. Reasons that get in the way of me vocalizing how in love with Jesus I am, that get in the way of me showing them with my actions that they matter even when they screw up so badly they have no idea how it will ever be right again. I say flip things to people I love always assuming I will have a chance to make it up to them.
So I don't know the right things to say but I know this. I serve a God that could give us what we deserve, he could cut us off and shut us out. He could turn his back on us and wash his hands. Because that's what we deserve. I serve a God that I turn towards and away from multiple times a day. I have fled from him and stared at him defiantly as I made choices that saw me traipsing down the trail of sin and depravity. But he did not give me what I deserved....what I challenged and screamed out at him to give me.
Instead, He gave me Jesus. He gave me abundant grace and forgiveness. He gave me people that were patient and understanding, people that took time to see me and encourage me. He gave me hope where I had none and light where I only invited darkness. He gave me Jesus.
So my question for those of us that serve God and follow Jesus is, who exactly do we think we are to decide what people deserve?
2 comments:
I am about the same as you with the death penalty and abortion conversation. I don't think I could be the one to decide whether or not someone should live or die. Who am I to decide?
I never even really considered it with grace though. Much of what you mentioned in the second part of this blog affects what has been going through my mind just today, but I never thought of it like that.
I think it's more about human nature when it comes to grace. That's why it's so hard for us to understand the unending amount of grace that God shows us, because we aren't programed that way.
I have been trying to extend more grace to people than I used to, and it's not easy and causes a lot of conflict in my head.
Great blog!
I'm in agreement with so much of what you said in the beginning of this post it's just downright ridiculous!
I'm not a big fan of pigeonholing, as you may be aware. For someone to take my basic stance on either issue (or any issue, really) and put me in their convenient little box is aggravating and asinine.
The argument people make against anyone who is against capital punishment that, "Oh, so they should all be let go, then?" is just ridiculous. First of all, you're putting words in my mouth and it makes me want to hit you.
More importantly, not wanting someone put to death does not mean I don't want to see justice served.
For the holier-than-thou crowd who would like you to turn to your Bible so they can point out all the eye-for-an-eye type verses, come on. Seriously. If we lived in the time of Judges, and our court officials were actually appointed by God and not our political leaders, we'd be having a different conversation.
If the judges in the old testament had been appointed by government officials to decide punishments over the children of Israel, the narrative would be wholly different. Oh. Wait. I guess we don't have to read far for that, do we? How about the story of Exodus? Pharaoh much?
As for the rest of your post, I totally agree. As painful as it is for any of us to remember, the Bible clearly states that sin is sin. I am just as guilty and in need of the Blood of Christ as Charles Manson.
For we ALL fall short of the glory of God...
NO ONE can come to the Father, except by me.
One thing I learned in a class I took at church was this, any time we judge someone, we're effectively seating ourselves on the throne of God and trying to take over His role.
I can't really explain it better than that, but that's the gist of it.
When we hold someone to a standard, and they fall short, it is not our right, and certainly not our "Christian duty" to point at them.
One of my favorite parables is the one about the toothpick and the telephone pole. Those aren't the words Jesus used, but they translate roughly the same way :)
Don't go pointing out the sliver in someone else's eyeball when you've got a giant wooden plank sticking out of yours.
A vivid reminder of one of Jesus' main themes: Don't worry about everyone else. Worry about you, and worry about me. I'll handle the rest.
I have no idea where all of that came from.
Post a Comment