I met a condemned man earlier this year.
I looked him the eyes and shook his hand. We studied scripture together, and we prayed. We even took a group picture after our time together.
By the end of this calendar year, he will be dead.
He has been on death row for 31 years, and as is the case with all of the men on death row in Louisiana, he is guilty of taking another life. I won’t debate the merits of the death penalty here. That’s for others who stand on higher moral ground than me to debate. He took two lives and the families of his victims will get their justice. That’s how the system is set up; that’s how the system will now play out.
He is out of appeals, and the district attorney has applied for his death warrant. Once issued, the day and time of his execution will be set. A death sentence 31 years in the making will be carried out, but I can tell you with confidence that the man that they kill now is not the same man they sentenced back then. Thirty-one years and a relationship with Jesus changes a person.
The only difference between my opinion and yours is that I have met this man. I am a witness to a heart changed by the love of Christ, and that makes this all the more unsettling for me. I can’t just sit back and watch a news story on TV and think about how much he deserves what he is about to get. God has taken that easy path away from me, and I’m better for it. I’m now able to understand how Jesus could forgive the criminal hanging on the cross next to him.
It turns out, Christ’s forgiveness is not for the righteous.
My friend Mike Broyles visited the man on death row last week. He prayed with him and told me that he seemed at peace. He said that he shows a genuine faith in Christ, and knows what his future holds when he takes his last breath here.
I may not be able to debate the merits of the death penalty with you, but I can tell you with confidence what salvation looks like. The man will soon face the penalty for the sins that he committed, but a second later, he will also reap the rewards for giving his life to Jesus in the years that followed. That’s how the system is set up; that’s how the system will now play out.
Bruce Tracy
Castaic
