CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – It is hard to be for law and order and against the death penalty. I am. I concede there are some crimes that are so heinous that death seems to be the right punishment.
The debacle in Tennessee this week is only part of the story. When we try to take others lives, there is no non-violent way to do it. We debase ourselves.
Some people say the death penalty is less expensive than keeping murderers in prison for the rest of their lives. Not true. Death penalty cases involve many layers of appeals. The legal costs are almost always higher than the incarceration costs. Many smaller counties simply don’t pursue death penalty cases because they are budget-busters.
Ask yourself, are there cases where someone who is innocent was put to death? The answer is certainly ‘yes,’ and that should be appalling to us. Sometimes we get the wrong result in cases where the punishment is irreversible.
Jewish law in the Old Testament gives many examples of when a person should be stoned to death. It is the punishment for blasphemy, adultery, murder, false prophecy, and for working on Sabbath. But Jesus gave us a new teaching: “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.”
I will share this with you: there is something freeing, releasing about allowing God to handle justice. We are taught to pray for our enemies and forgive those who have wronged us. I can only imagine how difficult those teachings are if someone killed a loved one. But I know this: Mankind’s justice is imperfect; we get things wrong.
God’s justice is perfect, if we are wise enough to wait for it.
Chris Conley
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