Would Jesus have suported the Death Penalty

[TheStinger]

As most of his teachings seem to be about forgivness and love, I was wondering whether Jesus would support the Death Penalty

[Skanky Burns]

He could speak about it from experience, at the very least.

[Caligastia]

Jesus stayed away from politics for the most part, so I doubt he made his opinion known on the subject.

[TheStinger]

It's a moral issue not just political

[Gangerolf]

What about the two guys who were crusified with him, did he say anything about whether their death penalties were right or wrong?

[Caligastia]

I dont think he was absolutely for it or against it, but back then you could get the death penalty for just about anything.

In this case Jesus was against it:

It was during this visit to Jerusalem that Jesus dealt with a certain woman of evil repute who was brought into his presence by her accusers and his enemies. The distorted record you have of this episode would suggest that this woman had been brought before Jesus by the scribes and Pharisees, and that Jesus so dealt with them as to indicate that these religious leaders of the Jews might themselves have been guilty of immorality. Jesus well knew that, while these scribes and Pharisees were spiritually blind and intellectually prejudiced by their loyalty to tradition, they were to be numbered among the most thoroughly moral men of that day and generation.

What really happened was this: Early the third morning of the feast, as Jesus approached the temple, he was met by a group of the hired agents of the Sanhedrin who were dragging a woman along with them. As they came near, the spokesman said: "Master, this woman was taken in adultery--in the very act. Now, the law of Moses commands that we should stone such a woman. What do you say should be done with her?"

It was the plan of Jesus' enemies, if he upheld the law of Moses requiring that the self-confessed transgressor be stoned, to involve him in difficulty with the Roman rulers, who had denied the Jews the right to inflict the death penalty without the approval of a Roman tribunal. If he forbade stoning the woman, they would accuse him before the Sanhedrin of setting himself up above Moses and the Jewish law. If he remained silent, they would accuse him of cowardice. But the Master so managed the situation that the whole plot fell to pieces of its own sordid weight.

This woman, once comely, was the wife of an inferior citizen of Nazareth, a man who had been a troublemaker for Jesus throughout his youthful days. The man, having married this woman, did most shamefully force her to earn their living by making commerce of her body. He had come up to the feast at Jerusalem that his wife might thus prostitute her physical charms for financial gain. He had entered into a bargain with the hirelings of the Jewish rulers thus to betray his own wife in her commercialized vice. And so they came with the woman and her companion in transgression for the purpose of ensnaring Jesus into making some statement which could be used against him in case of his arrest.

Jesus, looking over the crowd, saw her husband standing behind the others. He knew what sort of man he was and perceived that he was a party to the despicable transaction. Jesus first walked around to near where this degenerate husband stood and wrote upon the sand a few words which caused him to depart in haste. Then he came back before the woman and wrote again upon the ground for the benefit of her would-be accusers; and when they read his words, they, too, went away, one by one. And when the Master had written in the sand the third time, the woman's companion in evil took his departure, so that, when the Master raised himself up from this writing, he beheld the woman standing alone before him. Jesus said: "Woman, where are your accusers? did no man remain to stone you?" And the woman, lifting up her eyes, answered, "No man, Lord." And then said Jesus: "I know about you; neither do I condemn you. Go your way in peace." And this woman, Hildana, forsook her wicked husband and joined herself to the disciples of the kingdom.

[MikeH]

No he wouldn't the eye for an eye stuff is all Old Testement.

Proof: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"

Jesus is all about forgiveness not vengeance.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Gangerolf
What about the two guys who were crusified with him, did he say anything about whether their death penalties were right or wrong?

This suggests he thought they were right:

THE THIEF ON THE CROSS

One of the brigands railed at Jesus, saying, "If you are the Son of God, why do you not save yourself and us?" But when he had reproached Jesus, the other thief, who had many times heard the Master teach, said: "Do you have no fear even of God? Do you not see that we are suffering justly for our deeds, but that this man suffers unjustly? Better that we should seek forgiveness for our sins and salvation for our souls." When Jesus heard the thief say this, he turned his face toward him and smiled approvingly.

Perhaps it was the "Better that we should seek forgiveness for our sins and salvation for our souls" part that he was approving of though.

[MikeH]

Yes, I think it's the forgiveness thing he's smiling at.

[Gangerolf]

Perhaps it was the "Better that we should seek forgiveness for our sins and salvation for our souls" part that he was approving of though.

that's the problem with the bible and mr Christ: you can interpret them a gazillion different ways

[Caligastia]

Yes, I think it's the forgiveness thing he's smiling at.

Probably. Even when he considered someone incapable of understanding what he had to say, he would still help them to stay alive physically.

For example when he distributed alms to those in need:

At last they reached Naples and felt they were not far from their destination, Rome. Gonod had much business to transact in Naples, and aside from the time Jesus was required as interpreter, he and Ganid spent their leisure visiting and exploring the city. Ganid was becoming adept at sighting those who appeared to be in need. They found much poverty in this city and distributed many alms. But Ganid never understood the meaning of Jesus' words when, after he had given a coin to a street beggar, he refused to pause and speak comfortingly to the man. Said Jesus: "Why waste words upon one who cannot perceive the meaning of what you say? The spirit of the Father cannot teach and save one who has no capacity for sonship." What Jesus meant was that the man was not of normal mind; that he lacked the ability to respond to spirit leading.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Gangerolf


that's the problem with the bible and mr Christ: you can interpret them a gazillion different ways

Many things can be interpreted a gazillion different ways, not just the bible. These quotes are not from the bible BTW.

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Caligastia

When Jesus heard the thief say this, he turned his face toward him and smiled approvingly

I've seen less cheesy versions of that bible story.

[Caligastia]

Whats so cheesy about that?

[ZoboZeWarrior]

Jesus isn't against Death Penalty. But he considere that no man is enough pure and fair to put an another man to death.