Jesus and the death penalty

"Then Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.'"

John 8:11

 

Do we ever have difficulty with this reading?  The woman was, after all, caught in the act.  She was supposed to be stoned as a result of her adultery (one wonders what would have happened to the man she was with, but that's another Daily).  She was guilty and the law said she should be stoned to death.  A man on death row was found guilty in a court of law, the sentence is death.  And what does Jesus say? Well, first he says, "Let the one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." (v. 7) Does that mean the court system needs to find a person without sin to begin the lethal injection that will kill the death row inmate?  I think Jesus is very clear here about the death penalty.  Killing for the sake of teaching people not to kill is ludicrous.  Killing a person takes away all possibility for them to turn their life around.  And who are we to do that?  Jesus has a clear answer, for me, anyway.  Let's spend some time, this last week before Holy Week, thinking and praying about life.  All life.  Love, heidi