The Casey Anthony verdict is in. She was acquitted on the counts of murder in the first degree and aggravated manslaughter. As always, it is interesting to see how everyone responds on Facebook and in the Twitter world. I've see both extremes in the reactions to the verdict. One person suggested Casey be flown into outer space away from the earth. Another chimed in with, "we've all sinned, God will be the judge."
There is one analogy that is being floated out there however, that concerns me. There seems to be Christians who want to compare Casey Anthony's not guilty verdict to how Jesus handled the woman caught in adultery in John's gospel chapter 8. In John 8, scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman who had been caught in the very act of adultery. So if you know the story from the Bible, there is no question of her guilt or innocence. She is guilty. She was caught in the act! The Pharisees said to Jesus, "Now Moses (the law), commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do you say?" Jesus then stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger." He rose and said, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." One by one they all left. Then Jesus turned to her and asked, "... where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." What Jesus does here is incredible. He forgives her of her sin. Now Jesus is able to forgive sins. He is God. Also, the woman calls Him Lord. So He also recognized humility in her. She was truly humbled before Jesus, the Son of God.
Now how does this compare to the Casey Anthony verdict and people's reactions to it.
If you know anything about the Casey Anthony case or you have followed the case carefully, you probably had an opinion about her innocence or guilt. Most people I've talked to had an opinion. It seems that because people have an opinion about the case, that they are thrown into the camp of the Scribes and Pharisees. This is not the case. Anyone with an opinion did not bring these charges against Casey. The Orange County government did. They brought charges based on certain evidence, and Casey was indicted on these charges by a grand jury. Now in the criminal trial, the government, under our judicial system, had to prove these charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Evidently, they didn't meet their burden according to this jury. But to then suggest that there is any equivelence to Casey's not guilty verdict and the woman caught in adultery who was forgiven by the Lord of glory Himself is to really miss the point. To use that logic, we should just indict people when necessary bring them in and say, "okay, you can go now." That is not what Jesus was demonstrating in John 8. He was demonstrating that He, as the light of the world, has the power to forgive sins and that if you will humble yourself before him you too can be forgiven. This is not to say that Jesus by doing this has done away with anyone of us facing the consequences of our actions in this life. Jesus forgave the the repentant thief on the cross next to him, but he left him there on his cross as He remained on His cross to die for the sins of the world.
We as Christians have a responsibility to stand for and uphold the rule of law. Romans 13 provides excellent teaching on this responsibility. According to Romans 13, it is the role of the civil servant (government) to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Now when we practice an evil against humanity or society that has grevious consequences, we can't simply say, "Well, you know the woman caught in adultery was set free by Jesus." That just doesn't make sense!
Now if you want to be forgiven of your sins, then humble yourself before Christ and confess your sins. He is faithful and just to forgive the truly humble and sincere sinner. But let us also be careful to not let worldly and liberalized notions of grace cloud our judgement either. Now if Casey is truly guilty, then she deserved to pay the penalty. My prayer is that she would ultimately repent before the Supreme Judge and be forgiven of all her sins. He could do it and is willing, and He paid the price!
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