Marc Dutroux abducted, raped and killed several girls ranging in age from 8 to 19. His wife, Michelle Martin, was aware of her husband's actions, and when he was held in custody for car theft for 3 months, her failure to feed two kidnapped girls, Julie and Melissa, led to their death. He was sentenced to like emprisonment without parole, and his wife was sentenced to 30 years for taking part in the abductions and causing the death of Julie and Melissa. My country was shaken with grief at these horrors.
In 2012, Michelle Martin was released, much to the victims' families' grief and outrage. At first, she stayed at a convent, until the nuns had to move out and decided against taking Michelle with them.
In the last few days, news came out that former judge Christian Panier was going to rent out part of his house to Michelle Martin. He argued that "reinsertion is what makes the difference between revenge justice and civilised justice", and that "there is always a glimmer of humanity deep in the heart of someone who has done something evil".
Julie's father denounced Christian Panier's decision to help the woman who caused the death of his daughter, and most members of the public share in his indignation. Indeed, her involvement in the abductions and deaths is seen as unredeemable by many. Moreover, many freed prisoners who were guilty of far lesser crimes are not given such help with their reinsertion into society, not to speak about those who, through no fault of their own, struggle to find or keep a roof over their heads. The very idea that Michelle Martin should enjoy such comfort is absolutely outrageous. Isn't she completely undeserving of such help, given that she hasn't even issued a public apology of any kind?
Absolutely outrageous.
Yet, this is exactly what the Christian gospel claims God has done for us. It claims that none of us are "good", that we have all rejected God in our hearts to have our own way instead. That, we believe, is the root of all evil in the world: our decision to do as we please, rather than to do what is good. Yet, God provided a way for us to be forgiven, by offering Jesus as a substitute, to die the death we deserve, so we can be reconciled to God. This is grace: to be given what we do not deserve. This is the message of Easter. And because we have been forgiven, we want to change - not to deserve God's love, but in response to it.
I believe that what Christian Panier is doing for Michelle Martin is an act of grace. Does she deserve it? No, absolutely not. Just as the gospel claims we did not deserve God's love. But maybe, once given that grace, it may spur her to a real change of heart. Grace is given freely, but its purpose is always transformation. Michelle Martin may or may not change, but the possibility is offered to her. She is free to take it, just like we are free to take the opportunity God give us to live a new life of grace and transformation.
Outrageous? Absolutely. Yet this is the God I believe in: a God of outrageous grace.
-----------------------------------------------------
There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. Romans 3:22-25
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Romans 5:6-10
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. Colossians 1:21-22
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John:9-10
No comments:
Post a Comment