MURDER!!

I love to follow the news but it is often hard to keep up to date with all that is going on and that is why my home page on my internet explorer is ‘The Week’…a website and magazine that takes all the weeks notable news and condenses it into small bite sized information so that you can capture all the weeks interesting information in half the time!  As I logged on to it today, two stories leaped out at me:

The first was a story about a Colombian drug trafficker called Griseblda Blanco known as the “queen of cocaine.”  It was being reported that she had shot dead by two gunmen as she left a butcher’s in Medellin, Colombia.  She was 69.  In the 1970s and 80s she was at the centre of the cocaine trade in New York and Miami, reportedly making $8m a month and responsible for the murders of numerous rivals.  One of the investigating officers almost justified the killing when he said these words: 'When you kill so many and hurt so many people like she did, it’s only a matter of time before they find you and try to even the score.’

The second was a story about Andrew and Tracey Ferrie who shot and injured two out of the four burglars who had broken into their home.  They were arrested by police on suspicion of causing GBH.  Their local MP has thrown his hat in the ring by defending the couple’s actions as ‘just.’

The reason that these two stories stood out for me is that they both essentially justified violence.  They both say that revenge is ok.  They both teach us that an eye for eye is ok.

As a society do we really believe that?  Do we really think that if some assaults my wife I should be able to assault theirs?  Of if someone steals from me I’m aloud to steal from them? 

In fact in the case of Mr and Mrs Ferrie they upped the stakes…they were stolen from but they repaid their loss by causing GBH.

The Bible does say ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’ in the Old Testament but what many people seem ignorant of is that Jesus actually redefined many things about life in the New Testament.  About these words He actually said:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

Don’t hear what I’m not saying.  I personally believe that there can be such a thing as a just war.  There are times when authority needs to be fought against.  If a regime is oppressive and violent, then I do believe they need to be stopped. 

However I do find it very sad whenever I hear about people being killed as a punishment for their behaviour.  I may be alone on this one but when Saddam Hussein was hanged I was saddened.  When Osama Bin Laden was killed I didn’t rejoice.  Not because these people don’t deserve justice, they do.  Quite simply because I can’t agree with the attitude that killing someone, or indeed injuring someone for a crime or a wrong doing is ever right.

The gospel is this:  I sinned against God.  This sin was worse than burglary or drug trafficking and the punishment was death.  But God loved me so much that He sent someone else, Jesus Christ, to die in my place so that my sins and wrongdoings can be forgiven.

I’m not saying that we should just overlook people’s crimes…but I don’t think it is our job to decide when someone’s life should be ended, especially when basing this upon their actions.  I think our job, as the Church, is to imitate Christ: to love unconditionally, without prejudice and not based upon a person’s actions but looking at their hearts.

I’m so grateful God didn’t treat me as my actions deserved.