Verdict: Guilty. Charge: Didn’t Read the Whole Book

The Colorado Supreme Court upheld a ruling by a lower court yesterday that a death sentence leveled against a convicted murderer must be thrown out because the jurors consulted the Bible during deliberations.

The court considered it “improper reliance on an outside authority.”

No doubt, Christian conservatives will point to yet another instance of America’s activist liberal judiciary working to diminish the influence of faith in our country.

But that’s not even remotely where the outrage should be directed. One of the jurors testified that she referred to Leviticus chapter 24 while deciding on the verdict. Verse 17 says, “If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death.” Verse 20 contains the famous phrase, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” That, as the saying goes, leaves the whole world blind and toothless. (The juror was not Jewish; for the record, the New York Times says she also consulted the book of Romans but did not specify which part.)

No, Christians should be appalled by the blasphemy. What other word could you use to describe an act of direct defiance of Jesus Christ?

I refer you to Matthew 5:38-39: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,’ but I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

Jesus has clearly invalidated Leviticus 24:17. This doesn’t mean that we just let murderers go free. We have a right to separate dangerous people from civil society to protect ourselves and others. But Jesus expressly forbids vengeance and retaliation for crimes. We are not allowed to answer one crime with another.