The Jews took up stones again to stone him.
Every time I reflect on John, I first must remember that John wrote from a persecuted community, and excessively blames ‘the Jews’. Some scholars consider him anti-Semite. So although he seems to be blaming the Jews in particular, I think it’s safe to generalize to a wider population. Or at a least, not use John’s language and examples to bolster any anti-Semite notions I might have.
The people are about to stone Jesus, a horrific way to be killed where a mob surrounds someone and throws stones at them until they’re dead. The mob claims that the reason they’re going to stone Jesus is because he’s blasphemed God, claiming he’s the son of God.
Forget whether Jesus’ claim is true or not, I’m thinking about how selective the people are about which of God’s laws they need to follow. Yes, there is the ‘thou shalt have no other god before me’, but I’m pretty sure there’s also a ‘thou shalt not kill’ law in there too.
This stance of the mob, to kill Jesus because he blasphemed, is inherently hypocritical. They’ve invoked God’s laws as the overarching rule book. Blasphemy would only be a horrible offense in a religious context. Using that same rule book they’ve opened, I do not understand how they can punish with death. Clearly this was something they did to others, so it’s not a novel concept, initially tried with Jesus.
We live in a civil society that does not operate primarily from a God-based rule book. It’s a rule book made by people, trying to keep a civil society. Instead of ‘thou shalt not have any God before me’, we have rules about not desecrating the flag. We have rules and penalties about abuse, assault, harassment, murder. The penalties range from fines to imprisonment to execution. The purpose of our rule book isn’t to further God’s kingdom, but rather to maintain civil order.
But as a person of faith, I cannot shrug off my personal, primary rule book of God’s. Simply put, love God, love your neighbor. And further defined in the 10 commandments and all the Scriptures.
So how do I navigate in a world with two rule books? How can I avoid being hypocritical like the mob was with Jesus, cherry picking rules and punishments to fit and defend my behaviors? It seems to me it’s all about remembering which rules are most core, and most life giving to me. Love God. Love my neighbor. When things I do, or don’t do, conflict with this simple law, I am no better than the mob.
When I remember who I am, and whose I am, I must admit that I oppose the death penalty. Under no circumstance can I imagine sanctioning execution for another child of God. Yes, I think there are people who are too dangerous to live in society. But having lived with a loved one with significant persistent mental illness, I suspect it’s the illness acting out, not the beloved child of God. To be clear, I am not condoning their evil acts. But I am pointing out that as a person of faith, I don’t believe killing a person is ok, either their original crime, or the state’s subsequent punishment.
In the 51 days of 2020, there have been four sanctioned killings: John Gardner, aged 64, Donnie Lance (66), Abel Ochoa (47), Nicholas Sutton (58). There are another 17 people scheduled to be executed in 2020. Love thy neighbor. Thou shalt not kill. People of faith who condone capital punishment are, in my understanding, no different than the Jews. Pick the laws of God’s that are convenient and ignore the others.
This morning, I’m thinking about how to live a consistent, non-hypocritical life, with laws that are as sweeping and all-encompassing as Love thy neighbor, and thou shalt not kill. Because we live in a civil society that uses a different rule book, it’s important to remember which one should come first. And when the two are in conflict, to be aware which one I use and why.
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