Living in the Spirit
August 29, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 12:9-21

 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’— Romans 12:19 

The windmill I have jousted the most with over the past several years is the abolition of the use of the death penalty both in Oklahoma and in the country as a whole. There is absolutely no logical reason to use the death penalty. Several studies have concluded that it does not serve as a deterrent to crime, it has been shown to be way more expensive than life without parole, most victims’ families do not get closure from the killing of the one who murdered their loved one, and even lethal injection appears to be cruel and unusual punishment. Oh, did I mention that people of color are far more apt to be executed than whites, women are rarely executed, and almost all persons executed are poor? There is not that great a discrepancy among these groups in the demographics of people who kill people.

I classify the death penalty as my windmill because none of this matters to most supporters of the death penalty. It seems that somewhere in our culture the seed was planted that vengeance is necessary following a senseless murder to set the earth correctly back on its axis. Some of that comes from the Eye for and Eye rule, which Jesus actually dispatched rather quickly in Matthew 5. I think it probably comes from that primal childhood response to hit back at anything that is hurting us or that we fear might hurt us.

It never works for children and it never works for adults. Actually vengeance hurts the one wanting it more than it hurts the perpetrator of it. Whole lives have been wasted by dedicating them to seeking vengeance. Vengeance and all the emotions that accompany can eat a person up from the inside out.

Part of the problem for some with letting God’s wrath be sufficient is that God is fully capable of messing around and redeeming the scoundrel. In all honesty victims’ family members with whom I have discussed this issues were most often able to find some type of closure only when they forgave the criminal.

Prayer: God of Justice and of Mercy, help us leave room for your wrath and trust that your way is always the better way. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.