Has anyone heard of this news regarding a terrorist who is terminally ill and so being released from his prison in Scotland?
Link.Now, I ask of you, fellow Christians, how would you have acted had you been asked to make this decision on whether to keep him or release him?
Is this act of compassion towards this terrorist, as one bereaved mother said, "appaling and disgusting"?
What would Jesus have us do?
I submit to you the following answer on my part: This unprecedented, to my knowledge, act of mercy is a positive sign. I feel acts such as this can do more for diffusing our enemies than any number of threats and soldiers. This is an ultimate act of forgiveness and compassion, given to, some may argue, one of the least deserving.
Just as when I am struck I must offer up my other cheek, so must we, when harmed by the actions of zealotous and destructive individuals, show mercy, compassion, and love.
This is not an easy task, nor is it popular. We live in a nation that glorifies revenge, judgement, and violence. We make millions off of divisionism, fear, and anger, and where these elements exist, love cannot, just as a flower cannot grow in a river of hot magma. The American and arguably human reaction is to condemn this man to a solitary death on foreign soil.
But we are not asked by Jesus to be human. We are asked to be Loving, to be one with Agape.
In closing, I fully support the decision, and hope that such an act can catch on among other world leaders.
What of you?
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