May 30, 2010

John 8:1-11

We are continuing our sermon series on “following Jesus in a culture of fear and violence”. For the past few weeks we have been developing a biblical foundation for being Christian peacemakers in this very violent world.

Now, for the next few weeks I want us to look at a few specific ways we live this out in our world.

Today, I want to talk about capital punishment. Next Sunday, I have asked Matt Prichard to talk about our Christian engagement in the world. And, then, one other time I want to talk about how being a peacemaker affects our interpersonal relationships.

So, I am trying to look now at some more practical applications of what it means for us to be Christian peacemakers in our world.

Let’s look now at capital punishment.

The problem of violent crime in the United States and in many of our cities is a cause for grave concern. Here in Pittsburgh, almost daily we hear about some violent crime – some shooting or robbery or rape or sexual abuse or domestic violence.

There is nothing that stirs our emotions like a violent crime. This is why terrorists use violence to make a statement. They want the world to notice them.

And for many people, the answer to all of this violent crime is a “get tough” approach. This “get tough” approach usually means:

• Support for longer and harsher prison sentences. We hear things like – lock them up and throw the key away.
• Also, people elect to carry hand guns or concealed weapons for self protection.
• And, then, people usually advocate for the use of the death penalty as a deterrent to violent crime.

Now, many sincere Christians are torn between what they perceive to be a biblical call for justice when a “gruesome evil act” is committed and Christ’s call to show compassion and mercy even to our enemies.

So, how should Christians respond to these violent crimes? Should Christians support the death penalty or is there another way?

Now, the truth is that most people who support the death penalty look to the OT. And they do so for good reason because capital punishment was part of the code of conduct contained in the OT.

In the OT the death penalty is invoked for many crimes. It says – “if you do this you shall be put to death.” Listen to some of them.

1. Eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden. (Genesis 2:17)
2. Touching Mt. Sinai while God was giving the Ten Commandments. (Ex. 19:12)
3. Practicing sorcery. (Lev. 20:27)
4. Sacrificing to another god. (Ex. 22:30)
5. Not keeping the Sabbath. (Ex. 31:14-15)
6. Sacrificing children to Molech, a Canaanite god. (Lev. 20:2)
7. Cursing God. (Lev. 24:10:16)
8. Going too close to the sacred tent, altar, or ark. (Numbers 1:51, 3:10, 38, 18:7)
9. Being a false prophet (Deut. 13:5)
10. Worshiping idols (Deut. 13:16; 17:2)
11. Getting a friend, parent or child to worship another god. (Deut. 13:7-12)
12. Assaulting one’s father or mother (Ex. 21:15)
13. Cursing one’s parents or rebelling against one’s parents (Ex. 21:17; Deut. 21:21
14. Rebelling against leaders (Deut. 17:12)
15. Having sex with beasts (Lev. 22:19)
16. Committing adultery (Lev. 20:10)
17. Having intercourse with one’s father’s wife, with one’s daughter-in-law, or with one’s mother-in-law,  (Lev.20:11, 12, 14))
18. A man having sex with another man. (Lev.20:13)
19. Becoming a prostitute if you were the daughter of a priest (Lev. 21:9)
20. Being found not a virgin at the time of marriage. (Deut. 22:20)
21. Rape (Deut. 22:24-26)
22. Kidnapping (Ex. 21:16)
23. Keeping a dangerous ox (Ex.21:28-32)
24. Oppressing refugees or people on welfare (Ex. 22:23)
25. Murder (Gen. 9:6; Ex. 21:12)
26. Being a false witness (Deut. 19:16-19)

Now, that is a rather long list of things for which one could be given the death penalty – isn’t it? But here is the interesting thing about all of these offenses.

1. Many OT people engaged in some of these behaviors and they never died for it.
   • Adam and Eve ate fruit from the tree, but didn’t die for it.
   • Cain killed Able, but he didn’t die for it.
   • The sons of Jacob were kidnappers and didn’t die for it.
   • Judah, the patriarch, was guilty of intercourse with his daughter-in-law.
   • Reuben slept with his father’s wife.
   • Moses was a murderer.
   • King David was both a murderer and an adulterer.

These offenders all suffered in some way, but they did not die for their sins. In fact, God even gave Cain a special mark so that no one would kill him for murdering his brother.

1. The other thing I notice in the OT is that only four people are actually recorded as having died for one of these offenses.
   • One person was stoned for gathering wood on the Sabbath. (Num. 15:32-36)
   • Secondly, a man of half-Egyptian blood was stoned for cursing God in the middle of a fight with an Israelite. (Lev.24:10-16)
   • Third, Aachan stole some goods from the city of Jericho after a battle which went against the rules of holy war and so he was stoned. (Josh.7:1-26)
   • And then lastly, a man caught in bed with a woman who did not worship Israel’s God was killed. (Numbers 25:1-9).

Now, we could look at why these four individuals died for their offense but that isn’t my main focus today.

The thing I want to point out is that while the list of acts associated with death is long in the OT – the actual use of the death penalty in the Bible is very limited. It almost never happened.

Now, there are a couple of verses that proponents of capital punishment today usually refer to in defending their position.

One verse is Genesis 9:6. It says – “whoever sheds the blood of a human, by a human shall that person’s blood be shed; for in his own image God made humankind.”

Another verse that seems to mandate capital punishment is found in Numbers 35:30-31. It says – “if anyone kills another, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of a single witness. Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer who is subject to the death penalty; a murderer must be put to death.”

I think we need to acknowledge up front that these verses do endorse some form of capital punishment. The OT does not forbid the death penalty.

At the same time, we need to be careful to read these verses in the context of the whole message of scripture.

When we look closely at the context of these verses we will find that they are not so much advocating for the death penalty as they are trying to limit vengeance when evil acts are committed.

The movement in the OT is from “unlimited retaliation” – which is killing someone for punching you in the eye -  to “limited retaliation” – which is only an eye for an eye.

So, this verse in Genesis 9 then is not so much about supporting capital punishment as it is about limiting revenge. It is because we are made in God’s image that human life is sacred and we must be careful to limit vengeance.

Also, the scripture in Numbers 35 is about limiting vengeance by having more than one witness. Having more than one witness was intended to slow the process down and to insure that a person got a fair trial.

Also, in capital cases the witnesses were to act as the executioners. Those who provided the witness were expected to help carry out the public execution.

Again, this was meant to discourage people from falsely testifying against a person.

So, what we see in the OT is that capital punishment was permitted but it was rarely carried out and all of the rules were meant to limit vengeance. God, more than anything, prefers to restore people rather than punish them.

Now, this same understanding is picked up in the NT when Jesus proclaims that all vengeance is wrong for Christians.

In our scripture today from John 8 when Jesus is asked to support the death penalty his response is – “let the one without sin cast the first stone.”

According to the OT, adultery was a capital offense deserving of the death penalty. This woman, caught in the act of adultery, could have been stoned.

Jesus, here, does not say directly that capital punishment is wrong but indirectly he does by demanding that all judges and executioners must first be sinless.

Jesus stops the execution of this woman by declaring that we are all sinners and we all deserve the death penalty.

Jesus, the only sinless one in the group, did not throw a stone, but said – “neither do I condemn you. Go your way and from now on do not sin again.”

Instead of vengeance and punishment – Jesus offered forgiveness and redemption. He acknowledged her sin, but he also offered her a fresh start.

Jesus’ response to this woman caught in adultery is in line with the development of the biblical ethic which puts “limitations on vengeance and violence”.

The movement in scripture is always to limit vengeance.

When Jesus says – “you have heard it said – an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but I say to you do not overcome evil with evil” – he is saying that there is no moral order demanding that one evil be paid for by another evil.

In fact, Jesus’ execution on the cross has removed for all time the need for the human sacrifice of capital punishment. We no longer have to make sacrifices to make things right.

From my perspective, to support the death penalty is to bring into question the sufficiency of Christ’s death on the cross for us.

If Christ’s death isn’t for everyone – even the worst murderer – then how can we be sure that Christ died for our sins?

To say that Jesus died for all means that we can’t place limits on God’s grace and we must not give up on anyone.

As you know, Jesus was crucified between two criminals. One of the criminals joined the rest of the crowd in calling for Jesus’ crucifixion.

The other criminal asked Jesus “to remember him when he came into his kingdom.” Jesus then said – “today you will be with me in paradise.”

This criminal, at the last minute repented, and was forgiven. As Christians, we must never give up on anyone and always be prepared to receive the repentant sinner as God does.

As Christians, then, I think the ultimate reason for our opposition to the death penalty rests on Jesus Christ – who gave his life so that we may have new life.

At the same time, I think we can also be opposed to the death penalty because it has been shown not to deter crime. It gives people a false sense of security and, for some – only a brief sense of revenge, but it does not heal our wounds.

Passing stricter laws, hiring more police, building more jails, and executing more criminals does not really make us safer.

Capital punishment also exacerbates racism in our country and is often used in a discriminatory way against those who are mentally ill.

The poor are much more likely to receive the death penalty – for similar crimes – than the affluent.

Also, in the legal process, mistakes are continually made. Just since 1973, 139 people in 26 states have been released from death row based on new evidence. Our courts are sometimes more interested in establishing blame – than establishing truth.

So while the death penalty is inconsistent with Jesus’ teachings on love and mercy, it also does not deter crime and is often discriminatory in nature.

Well, if that is our understanding – what, then, are some implications for us today?

1. First of all, I think we need to learn how to mourn and lament with the victims of crime. Our opposition to the death penalty does not take away our concern for crime victims.

Often times words cannot express the deep pain and anguish many victims feel. Not only have they suffered great pain and loss – many feel abandoned and rejected by God. Sometimes the victims transfer the guilt to themselves.

Almost all victims have strong feelings of revenge. Some even fanaticize about how they might torture their offenders. These are normal human responses.

And when victims feel guilty or hurt or vengeful – sermons on God’s love and forgiveness do not fit their experience and can make them resentful at God.

What victims of crime need is a safe place to express their fear, anger, and feelings of revenge.

Churches can provide a place for special services where victims can pour out their hearts before God and others. The Psalms provide one resource for expressing our anger and vengeful feelings.

Listen to Psalm 94:1-8:

“Lord, you are a God who punishes; reveal your anger! You are the judge of all people; rise and give the proud what they deserve!

How much longer will the wicked be glad? How much longer, Lord? How much longer will criminals be proud and boast about their crimes?

They crush your people, Lord; they oppress those who belong to you. They kill widows and orphans, and murder the strangers who live in our land.

They say – the Lord does not see us; the God of Israel does not notice.”

In this Psalm – people are crying out to God because they have experienced an injustice and God is called upon to take revenge. The people cry out for justice but they also leave it up to God to decide how that will happen.

God does not need protection from our hurtful, angry, and vengeful feelings. God can take it.

So, as a community of faith we must learn to mourn with those who mourn and cry with those who cry.

Offenders need to be reached out to as well – but we need to be present in a special way with victims of crime.

I know that some of you here this morning have been mugged. Others of you have had your home broken into. Some of you have been raped or sexually abused.

These are all very traumatic experiences and as a community of faith – even though we may not know the deep feelings you experience – we want to walk with you through it. We want to learn to lament with you in your losses and fears.

And on this Memorial Day Weekend – a time in which our country remembers those who have died fighting for this country – I think we, as Christians opposed to war – can lament with those who have lost loved ones in war.

I don’t know how to do this but I often think our peace witness needs to include reaching out to veterans coming home from war – many deeply traumatized – emotionally, spiritually, and physically by war.

Many homeless people in our city are veterans who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction.

I often wonder, how can our church be a place of healing and hope for veterans? How can we learn to lament with them the losses in their lives?

Or I think about some our neighborhoods and communities here in Pittsburgh where violence is a daily occurrence.

Where people fear walking the streets and parents worry about their children playing outside. For some of these communities the violence is so great that these communities have lost all hope.

How do we not let crime control us? How can we speak truthfully about the violence and at the same time express the hope we have through Christ and not live in fear?

I have not participated in these, but I am often encouraged by those who gather to pray at the place where a violent crime has happened. Their presence and prayers at the site give voice to the suffering and they offer hope for change.

This morning I want to encourage us to not only speak out against the death penalty but to find constructive ways to reduce violence, to care for those who are suffering, and to offer our homes and church as a place of healing for both victims and offenders.

I have been reminded this week in my study that in God’s eyes – we are all murderers. For we all have hated a sister or brother with an unholy vengeance.

When we realize that we are a people of grace – then we will be supportive of all victims of violence – whether it be murder or capital punishment or war or greed.

As Christians, our message is one of redemption and reconciliation.

The death penalty carries a message of condemnation and death. Jesus came with a message of hope – offering to forgive and heal our brokenness.

In the midst of those screaming to stone the murderer let us say like Jesus – neither do I condemn you – go and sin no more. AMEN.