Last night, the jury in the Jerry Sandusky case handed down a verdict that Mr. Sandusky was guilty in 45 out of the 48 counts that he was charged with in his now-infamous child sexual abuse trial. Once the verdict was announced to those outside of the courthouse and eventually to the nation and the world, there was great rejoicing in the fact that a man who had violated the trust and the innocence of so many young boys was finally getting his just dues. The man who physically and mentally abused so many boys is headed to prison, never to be released or to see freedom again.
As I watched the media circus last night, I saw people rejoicing in the fact that this monster is headed off to jail. People were cheering the decision that the man who performed such heinous acts on young boys will now be locked up, unable to violate any more boys. There is justified outrage at this man, who started a charity to help young people, but used his charity instead to meet, and susequently take advantage of, the young boys he was supposed to be helping. Instead of helping these boys, he was helping himself to these boys.
As Jerry was being led from the courthouse in handcuffs, he had a dumbfounded look on his face. I had to ask myself, "What is he thinking? He shows no remorse for what he did." Was he in shock at the decision of the jury? Was he so arrogant that he thought that the jury would never convict him? Does he really have any remorse for what he has done?
As they were putting him in the police car to transport him to prison, the TV microphones picked up voices of those who were yelling at him and taunting him. One of the people who was yelling at Jerry Sandusky in the background could be heard saying, "I hope you rot in hell!" This is a natural human reaction, as we tend to view those who violate the trust and innocence of young people as scum of the earth. But as Christians, is this to be our reaction? Should we actually hope that a human being is sent to an eternity of torment in hell?
The answer to this question lies in this simple question - what does the Bible have to say about this? John 3:16 tells us that God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us, and that anyone who believes in Him will have everlasting life. There is no exception to this. Salvation is for anyone who believes, even Jerry Sandusky. We read in Romans 3:23 that all men have sinned and have come short of God's glory. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death, but we have been offered the gift of eternal life. II Peter 3:9 tells us that the Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
What these verses tell me is that we are all sinners. We have all committed sins against God. While the Bible lists many sins, I have yet to find a sin ranking in the pages of the Bible. In other words, any sin causes a sinner to be separated from God. Sin is sin. Just because I have not committed the same heinous acts as Jerry Sandusky does not mean that I am any more innocent before God or any less of a sinner. We all need to ask for God's forgiveness for our sins, including Jerry Sandusky.
To say that we want Mr. Sandsuky to "rot in hell" is saying that we believe that he is not worthy of God's salvation. That, however, is not our choice to make. None of us can do anything to deserve the salvation that God has offered to us. In the end, the only person who can choose whether or not Jerry Sandsuky ends up in hell is Jerry Sandusky. The choice is his - and it is his alone.
So what should we, as Christians, do, now that he has been convicted? We should pray. We should pray for those who were abused, that they would begin to have closure. We should pray for them, that they would be able to move past this horrific stage in their lives, and start to put their lives back together again. We should pray for their families, that they would have wisdom in moving forward. We should pray for Jerry Sandusky, that he would repent of what he has done. We should pray that he would ask forgiveness from those he has abused and taken advantage of. We should pray that he falls on his knees before God and asks forgiveness from the Almighty for the sins that he has committed.
I am not saying that if he has a cellblock confession that we should somehow completely forgive him and release him from the sentence that he will be receiving in the not-too-distant future. Part of seeking forgiveness for your sins is paying the price for the sins that you have committed. Mr. Sandusky should never be allowed to leave prison. The acts he performed are unconscionable. The sentence he gets is probably not going to be tough enough for what he has done. But we have a God who has made salvation available to everyone - including Jerry. And we should not wish an eternity in hell on anyone.
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