"The
Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in
love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger
forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us
according to our iniquities."
Psalm 103:8-10
Late last night, it was announced that the jury for the George Zimmerman trial had reached a verdict. They determined that Zimmerman was not guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin. Public outrage was almost immediate. In the court of public opinion, Zimmerman was declared guilty of killing an unarmed youth in a classic racial profiling case. In the court of law, the jury could not reach that same decision based on the case that was presented to them.
Obviously, I was not there on the day Zimmerman shot Martin. Nor was I there in the courtroom listening to all of the evidence and arguments that were presented. And I wasn't in the jury room, privy to the deliberations that led to an acquittal. But I do know three things: George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin (that was never disputed); Trayvon Martin is dead, and would remain so regardless of the verdict; and George Zimmerman is free to live out his life. While I believe that an orderly society is predicated upon the ability to hold people accountable for their actions, I also believe that sometimes society has an awkwardly twisted concept of "justice".
Our collective idea of justice says that a victim is vindicated when the criminal is punished for the crime that was committed. And to some extent that is true. However, when the victim's life has been ended because of that crime, they can receive no real justice. What punishment could possibly be handed down to the murderer that would restore the deceased life to them? How can society give back to the victim the years that they missed out on by having their life cut short? In many ways, our idea of "justice" is more about vengeance than making things right.
As I was pondering this particular case, the above passage from Psalm 103 came to mind. This is one of my favorite psalms because it is filled with so many wonderful promises of God's goodness to his people. One of these promises is that "he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities." In other words, we don't get what's coming to us for all the sins we've committed and the mistakes we've made. Sure, we often have to endure the natural consequences of our actions, but God decided along time ago that we couldn't possibly make right all of the offenses that we've committed (and continue to commit). So he chose to balance out his perfect justice with absolute mercy.
I wonder how many of those people rallying for "justice" and demanding that Zimmerman pay for his "crime" are willing to be held 100% accountable for everything they've ever done wrong. We all get away with stuff sooner or later. At this point in time, it appears that Zimmerman got away with killing a kid armed with Skittles and wearing a hoodie. The truth is, the day will come when true Justice will be served, and Zimmerman will have to give an account for what he did:
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10)
Until then, however, it would seem to me that a better use of the energy and resources being used to rally against this verdict would be to work toward creating a better society where people are not profiled for the way they dress or the color of their skin. It has become painfully obvious in recent times that racism is still alive and well in American society, nearly 50 years after the Civil Rights Act was passed. We have a lot of work ahead of us if we want to see a day where the "George Zimmermans" of this world no longer exist.
Until then, pray for Martin's family to find peace and closure, and for calm and reason among those who disagree with the outcome of this case.
Have a blessed week!
Pastor David
