At the church where I serve, we just came to the
conclusion of a sermon series entitled “Vote for Jesus”. During this series,
our hope and our prayer was to accomplish three specific goals. First, our hope
and our prayer was to demonstrate that Jesus is not a republican and Jesus is
not a democrat. Instead, Jesus is God and as God Jesus is the one that we are
to place our hope in, not a political party.
Second, our hope and our prayer was to equip and
empower us to think critically and Biblically when it comes to the issues that
our culture is faced with that often find themselves expressed in the political
process. And third, our hope and prayer was to provide a framework from the
message and teachings of Jesus when it comes to how we as followers of Jesus
are to engage in the government and in the political process in way that
reveals and reflects Jesus to those around us.
This week, as we come to the conclusion of this series, I would like for us to spend
our time together addressing the issue of capital punishment. Specifically, I
would like for us to ask and answer the questions “What
policies would Jesus promote when it comes to the issue of capital punishment? Why
would Jesus take the position that He would take?"
Now, at one end of the conversation when it comes to
the issue of capital punishment
are politicians and others who advocate for capital punishment. Those who advocate for capital punishment use several arguments
to support their position. First, those who advocate for capital punishment
argue that capital punishment gives
closure to the victim's families who have suffered so much. Second, those
who advocate for capital punishment argue that capital punishment creates another form of crime deterrent.
Third, those
who advocate for capital punishment argue that capital punishment results is
justice being better served. Fourth, those who advocate for capital punishment argue
that our justice system shows more
sympathy for criminals than it does victims. Fifth, those
who advocate for capital punishment argue that DNA
testing and other methods of modern crime scene science can now effectively
eliminate almost all uncertainty as to a person's guilt or innocence. And
sixth, those who advocate for capital
punishment argue that capital punishment gives
prosecutors another bargaining chip in the plea bargain process, which is
essential in cutting costs in an overcrowded court system.
At the other end of
the conversation when it comes to the issue of capital punishment would be
politicians and others who oppose capital punishment. Those who oppose capital punishment use several arguments
to support their position. First, opponents of capital punishment argue that
the financial cost to taxpayers of
capital punishment is several times that of keeping someone in prison for life.
Second, opponents of capital punishment argue
that capital punishment is barbaric and violates the
"cruel and unusual" clause in the Bill of Rights.
Third, opponents
of capital punishment argue that the
endless appeals and required additional procedures clog our court system. In
addition, some jury members are reluctant to convict if it means putting
someone to death. Fourth, opponents
of capital punishment argue that as
a society we have to move away from the "eye for an eye" revenge
mentality if civilization is to advance. Fifth, opponents
of capital punishment argue that life
in prison is a worse punishment and a more effective deterrent than capital
punishment.
Sixth, opponents
of capital punishment argue that the
prisoner's family must suffer from seeing their loved one put to death by the
state, as well as going through the emotionally-draining appeals process. Seventh,
opponents of capital punishment argue that the possibility exists that innocent men and women may be put
to death. And finally, opponents of capital punishment
argue that capital punishment is
useless in that it doesn't bring the victim back to life.
Now, with all that background in mind, let’s take a
look at what the message and teachings of Jesus have to say when it comes to
the issue of capital punishment. Specifically, what do the letters that make up
the Bible reveal about capital punishment? We find the answer to this question in an event from history that has been
preserved and recorded for us in a section of a letter that is found in the Old
Testament of the Bible called the book of Joshua.
The book of Joshua records
the efforts of the Jewish nation to restart their lives after forty years of
wandering in a literal desert of hurt, pain, and failure. You see, the Jewish
nation spent forty years wandering in the desert after repeatedly demonstrating
their lack trust in the Lord’s promises. After being delivered from slavery at
the hands of the nation of Egypt by the Lord, the Lord, through a man named
Moses, began to lead the Jewish nation toward the land that He had promised them.
However, as the Jewish people moved from Egypt and
towards the Promised Land, however, problems began to arise. Instead of looking
forward to the new start that God was delivering them to, the Jewish people
instead chose to spend their time looking back. As a result of the selfishness
and rebellion of the Jewish nation, the Jewish people spent forty years
wandering in the desert as a consequence of their selfishness and rebellion.
After forty years, after an entire generation of
Jewish people died in the desert as a result of their selfishness and
rebellion, a man named Joshua led the next generation of the Jewish people into
the land that the Lord had promised them. After taking control of the land that
the Lord had promised them, the Lord, through Joshua, began to establish how
the Jewish people were to live in the land that the Lord had promised them. And
it is in this context that we jump into this event from history, beginning in Joshua 20:1-3:
Then the
LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, "Speak to the sons
of Israel, saying, 'Designate the cities of refuge, of which I
spoke to you through Moses, that the manslayer
who kills
any person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee
there, and they shall become your refuge from
the avenger of
blood.
Upon finishing the task of
dividing the Promised Land amongst the twelve tribes that formed the Jewish
people, the Lord God commanded Joshua to designate cities of refuge. Now, in
order to fully understand what the Lord commanded Joshua to do in these verses,
we first need to understand what cities of refuge were and their significance
to the Jewish people.
In another letter that is
recorded for us in our Bibles, called the Book of Numbers (35:9-34), the Lord commanded
Moses, who was the previous leader of the Jewish people, that upon entering
into and settling the Promised Land, the Jewish people were to set aside six
cities that were to be called cities of refuge. These cities of refuge were
designed to be a place where a person could seek asylum while awaiting trial
for their actions that resulted in the death of another person.
You see, the letters that make
up the Bible makes a clear distinction between killing and murder. From a
biblical perspective, there is a significant difference between a person whose
actions accidentally cause the death of another, which is defined as killing,
and a person who plots and plans to take the life of another, which is defined
as murder. The words unintentionally and without premeditation here literally
mean something that occurs accidentally or without previous thought or
knowledge.
And just like today, there were
tragic times when death occurs as a result of the accidental and unplanned
actions of others. Unfortunately and tragically, there are occasions that
people are killed as a result of the accidental and unplanned behavior of
others. And just like today, there were
occasions where people act by willingly and thoughtfully taking the life of
another human being as a result of a plot and plan that flowed from selfish
rebellion and sin. The letters that make up the Bible refer to that act as
murder.
In addition, the letters that make up the Bible is also
very clear about the consequences that should occur when one human being acts
on a thought out plan to murder another human being. In the first book of the
Bible, called the book of Genesis, we see God provide clear instructions as to
the consequences that the person who had committed murder was to face.
Tomorrow, we will see these consequences revealed for us…
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