We all need Christ. It’s a very basic truth that I would bet my life on. However, occasionally we stumble across an individual whose need for Christ is overwhelming obvious. We see them struggling with an addiction or a mindset that needs to be laid down at the cross, and just wish that they would just encounter God’s grace. A recent example of this is Maureen Faulkner. For the younger and non-Philly readers, Maureen Faulkner is the widow of Officer Daniel Faulkner, a police officer killed in the line of duty most likely by Mumia Abu-Jamal in 1981. After thirty years of Faulkner and prosecutors trying to execute Aba-Jamal[1], the district attorney settled for life in prison without parole. Maureen Faulkner, distraught over Abu-Jamal not being put to death, gave a statement saying she will commit her life to make sure he receives no special treatment and is comforted by the fact that Abu-Jamal will burn in the “lowest dimension of hell”[2]. She added that eternity in hell is what he deserves.
Thank God that we all don’t just get what we deserve. The same grace that covers me also covers Maureen Faulkner and Mumia Abu-Jamal. I can’t help but think of the parable of the unmerciful servant[3], in which a servant, having just been forgiven of his massive debt to his master, refuses to show mercy on a fellow servant and has him thrown in prison. Reading that story, the sin of the unmerciful story jumps out to us, as his hypocrisy cannot be hidden. However, the life application struggles to be anything more than theoretical in our own lives. When someone else has wronged us, we look to our own sense of justice before we look to the example Christ set for us in his life and his death on the cross. This sense of justice, this entitlement to retribution that we trick ourselves into having was crucified on the cross along with our sins. The New Testament doesn’t tell us to judge, punish, and seek vengeance; it relentlessly hammers home the concepts of love, forgiveness, and prayer for our enemies.
I cannot even begin to contemplate the emotions and trauma of having a loved one murdered. Maureen Faulkner is not trying to be angry and hateful, it’s our natural response to such situations. I’m sure she’s not a bad person. After thirty years of simply looking back and refusing to forgive, she has become a clear example of why God is not subtle about how we are to deal with those who have wronged us. Instead of being a slave to our anger, and a martyr for the façade of human justice, we are told to pray for our enemies and ask God for the power to forgive. If we live angry at those who have wronged us and continue to dwell on the past, we will fail to look forward and we will miss what God is trying to do with us in the present and future.[4]
1. The murder of Daniel Faulkner and the treatment of Abu-Jamal is a humongous deal in the city of Philadelphia. There is an annual rally to “Free Mumia”, while many local businesses hang pictures of Officer Faulkner to show where they stand. I will not be offering any opinions on the actual case, as it will only take away from the main point.
2. http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Maureen-Faulkers-Message-to-Mumia-Abu-Jamal-135175638.html
3. Matthew 18:21-35
4. I didn’t want to go much longer, but I do have a disclaimer. For one, I apologize if it seemed to imply that forgiveness was an easy process or a one prayer and done thing. It takes a long time and a willingness to slowly let God heal us. Second, I also do not want to imply that forgiveness always has to end in a return to the status quo. You can forgive someone without it being healthy to be around them, especially if the forgiveness is only a one-sided affair. The most important thing is that we don’t carry the bitterness with us, not necessarily the relationship with the other person. Even Paul, who I’m sure had no problem forgiving John Mark and Barnabas, did not think it was wise to continue to work with them (Acts 15:37-39). Sins almost always external consequences, it’s God’s grace that can eliminate the internal consequences.
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