Too Heavy for Mercy - A Tale of Two Jessies

Two stories have been in the news this week which have led me to think more about the nature of crime and forgiveness. One is the murder thirty months ago of little Jessie Lunsford in Florida, who was buried alive by the murderer, and the other is Jessie Davis, the pregnant mother, who was recently killed in Ohio reportedly by her lover, Bobby Cutts. I have noticed two opposing views from the affected family members. Patricia Porter, mother of Jessie Davis, stated that she will not harbor hate for the perpetrator, "I feel like if God can't forgive Bobby Cutts, then he can't forgive any of us." On the other hand, in asking for his daughter's killer to receive the death penalty, Mark Lunsford stated that some crimes were "too heavy for mercy." My question is, "Does God find some crimes too heinous to forgive?"

One of the perpetrators I have always had difficulty with is Ted Bundy who killed numerous women in the Northwest over a number of years, often posing as a clean cut young man who needed help from the women because of an injury. The night before his execution he requested a final interview with psychologist James Dobson. In that interview, he spoke of his newly found faith in Christ. I shutter to think that I will see him in heaven dressed in white and singing with the angels.

What is the evidence that God forgives all sins--if asked to do so by the sinner? One verse and one example will probably suffice, although many others might be also cited from Scripture. The verse we are most familiar with is from I John, Chapter One, Verse Nine, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." And, yes, that adjective is correct: all. That means even murder of an innocent child or a helpless woman. The other most well-known example is that of the thief on the cross who is given a promise of Paradise by Christ even as He himself is being crucified.

In our own imperfection as Christians, but in our striving to become more like Him, we struggle with sins that are seemingly "too heavy for mercy." We long to pronounce the worst punishment possible. But then we realize--He is God, and we are not.