Nullification

I have been watching the new show "Harry's Law" since it premiered. There has been one legal maneuver that has been used in each of the first two episodes, the idea of "Jury Nullification."

Basically it's a defense that says, 'hey, our client committed the crime, technically it was wrong, but he had a good reason to do it so you should let him go." It's the old "he needed killing" defense, only these weren't murders. It's a common ploy when people start talking about "the spirit of the law."

I started thinking about it a little. I understand why they use the argument, I even understand why some people might be swayed by it, but I think it's part of a larger problem. I have been concerned as I've watched movies, TV shows, and the news in recent months by the rise in the "ends justify the means" reasoning that seems so prevalent in our society.

I like a show called "The Closer." The show is about a police unit in Los Angeles. In a recent episode I was frustrated that the main character, a deputy police chief that is the central figure in the show, orchestrated what was tantamount to a hit on a gang member guilty of a double murder that she couldn't prosecute. Since she couldn't get him legally, she set it up so he would be killed by fellow gang members. Many labeled it street justice. It made me uneasy.

Too often even seemingly moral people seem fine with people being murdered, as long as they "deserve it." I think that's a slippery slope that ultimately leads one to ask, "how do you determine if one deserves it."

I love the people that quote from the Bible saying "an eye for an eye." While I don't deny that is in the Scriptures, I would contend it has been abused over the years. I would also contend that passage of Old Testament law doesn't line up with Jesus' teaching in the New Testament. In fact, Jesus addressed that famous saying in The Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:38-42 says, "“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."

If you think that rocks your world view, keep reading. I think one of the most challenging sections in the Bible is what follows in Matthew 5:43-45, which says, "“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. I'll admit, I am not great at this, but I continue to strive to live out this part of my faith. What I can't figure out is how any Christian could reconcile that passage with an argument based on the idea that "the ends justify the means."