Except for an act of God, Tommie J. Smith will die tonight at 12:01.

One of the indictments against the first Anabaptist martyr, Felix Manz, Switzerland, 1527, was that he rejected the state's right to perform capital punishment. Menno Simons, founder of Holland Anabaptism, also stood firm on this matter:

"If the transgressor should truly repent . . . for such an one to be hanged would look strange and unbecoming. . . . If he remained impenitent, and his life be taken, one would unmercifully rob him of the time of repentence."

Many Mennonite Conferences testify against the death penalty. General Conference Mennonite Church at Estes Park, CO, 1965, stated:

"Since Christ through his redemptive work has fulfilled the requirement of the death penalty, and has given the church the ministry of reconciliation, and in view of the injustice and ineffectiveness of capital punishment as a means for the achievement of the purposes of government, we express our conviction that its use should be discontinued."

As you and I are gathered here this evening, let us remember that Jesus was executed with a criminal charge against him. He prayed for his executioners, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Luke tells the story (23: 32-43) of various groups who gathered there at the cross:

"The people stood by, watching.
The leaders scoffed at him.
The soldiers also mocked him."

Two convicted criminals were executed with Jesus, one on each side. One kept deriding him: Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" but was rebuked by the other: "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our wrong." Then he added, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Of all these groups, only this criminal saw that Jesus' cross was his throne, and only he was addressed by Jesus, "Today you will be with me in paradise."

At Tommie's execution tonight, you and I stand by watching. Again, there will be scoffers, mockers, deriders. But for the one who acknowledges that execution is this Jew's enthronement, there will be a welcome, "Today, you will be with me. . . ."

*Millard Lind is Emeritus Professor of Old Testament at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary. He lives in Goshen, Indiana.

SOME ADDITIONAL VOICES:

Capital punishment is in our opinion an ethically wrong method of punishment. Furthermore, the evidence is strong that it does not deter crime. When we travel to other developed countries we are embarrassed to admit that our own government is one of the few advanced nations which engages in this practice. --Carl and Evelyn Kreider.

I oppose capital punishment because it is barbaric and inhumane. I oppose this practice because my faith, my following Christ, simply does not permit me to approve of the state being in the killing business. --Atlee Beechy.

We want to learn how to stand by family members of murder victims and help them enter the path of reconciliation. We believe that life is a sacred trust from God. We want to be instruments for restoring trust by providing alternatives to violence, both of murder and of the death penalty. --Ray Gingerich.

Forgiveness is never going to be easy. Each day it must be prayed for and struggled for and won. --Sister Helen Prejean.

Comments about this article may be e-mailed to: John Fisher, johnjf@goshen.edu

HTML editing by Lon Sherer, lonhs@goshen.edu

Published: 6/00

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