Seeking Peace and Perfect Justice

My friend and prayer partner, Tina Simon, has been at it again. Feast on her bittersweet herbs:

   

Last Words of Karla Faye Tucker, convicted murderer (right), who was executed after trusting Christ in prison:

“Yes sir, I would like to say to all of you — the Thornton family and Jerry Dean’s family — that I am so sorry. I hope God will give you peace with this. Baby, I love you. Ron, give Peggy a hug for me. Everybody has been so good to me. I love all of you very much. I am going to be face to face with Jesus now. Warden Baggett, thank all of you so much. You have been so good to me. I love all of you very much. I will see you all when you get there. I will wait for you.”

As a Christian, how do I view justice? Are we to be the avenger of blood? Or are we to bring that “mercy that endures forever?” If mercy trumps justice, then what do we owe the victim?

If we had never sinned, we would never know of mercy. Mercy requires an offense. Jesus suffered the ultimate death penalty in the place of all those sinners who would come to believe in Him and accept His offer (perhaps our greatest sin is the arrogance to think we don’t need a savior and, therefore, we don’t need to accept this offer; we need not “bend the knee").

There are times when I wish I could keep it simple in my mind and heart; either I am enraged for the rights of the victim, or pity the offender. I am often in sympathy with both, and don’t know how to come to a satisfactory answer for either.

I know that if things had been different, I could be standing in the dock. If my life had been different, if God hadn’t saved me. Still, I’m kind of tired of the refrain, "I’m depraved because I was deprived."  While that is often the case, I know as a sinner I’m also responsible for my own behavior, that the state doesn’t wield the sword for nothing.

It is much harder to feel compassion for both the offender and the victim, but I know it is right. Yet, there needs to also be some way of protecting society. We must do our best to serve both.

I suppose what is saddest is that we can’t seem to reach people early enough. Perhaps that is part of what makes me feel uncomfortable - the thought that we have somehow failed, too. With each prisoner, as well as every victim, society in some measure has taken part in the offense. We fail both the offended and the offender when our culture refuses to acknowledge the elephant that sits so prominently in every American living room. It is disguised as the American dream, which demands the sacrifice of our children to abortion and day care and latch key living. This is at best. At worst, our offspring go to bed hungry, abused and terrified -and no one is listening.

I know that every believer - no matter how vile his crime - is with Christ in heaven, and I will one day share heaven with that person, but that does not answer for the crime here on earth. Perhaps in this sinful world, our criminal justice system represents flawed and fallen humans' best attempt at justice. It's the best we can do.

I wonder what kind of results there would be if someone did a study to find out just how much help or closure there has been for the victims or their families five to fifteen years after the offender has been convicted. Does it ease the rage any? Is there peace or resolution? Have we done our utmost for the victims and their loved ones?

Maybe my dissatisfaction with the answers we currently have to all these questions stems from the fact that there is no really adequate solution. Only Christ provides the ultimate answer as He changes hearts, one person at a time.

I constantly remember the phrase, there but for the grace of God go I. I am both victim and perpetrator, sinner and sinned against.  I feel myself in the body of both and want to minister to both sets of needs. I know forgiveness lies with Christ, but there must still be a penalty paid down here.

Thank you, Father, that in Christ, Psalm 85:10-11 is made whole:

Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.