the basic message #E21
Luke 9:53-56
but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village.
I’m going to lose some readers due to this week’s subject matter, but I can’t help that. James and John could have destroyed the Samaritans, but Jesus stopped them and fussed at them. Why? Jesus isn’t in the killing business, he’s in the life business. He doesn’t need to kill anyone on earth since we all belong to him anyway. In other words, we can run, but we can’t hide. Are we in the killing business? If you endorse capital punishment, you are. It’s common knowledge that any politician that publicly condemns capital punishment has essentially ruined his career. Popularity polls are nothing new, read on:
Mark 15:15
Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
Pilate apparently intended to release Jesus and have Barabbas crucified, but the crowd would have none of that. And so, Pilate responded to one of the earliest polls recorded in history and knuckled under. Our politicians do the same thing, but here’s the catch: They only respond to what we, the public, shout for. Some folks think it’s our duty as citizens to kill the murderers in our land. Many folks like to use the bible as their basis for the death penalty. I’ll even provide the scripture they use:
Genesis 9:6
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.”
I can’t or won’t argue with the word of God, but let me pose a question. A story recently revealed that dozens of men on Death Row had been wrongly convicted after new DNA testing was admitted as evidence. I must assume that we Americans have wrongly executed at least one person, so we killed innocent people. Whose blood must now be shed for the person wrongly executed? Please don’t say the man who pulled the switch on the electric chair- he was only doing a job as a public servant. Who must die? The individuals that gave the order- in other words, you and I. In a Gallup poll from last year, 64% of all Americans thought we didn’t execute enough criminals. Pilate responded to the cries from the public, and our government does the same thing. Do I want criminals to run free? Of course not, but life in prison without any benefit of parole sounds more like what Jesus would call for. Consider this: If I’m wrong, God might scold me when I get to heaven. If I’m right, what will the capital punishment supporters have to say on judgment day? May I leave you with this passage to consider? What could it possibly refer to?
Romans 12:19
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.