Two wrongs don’t make a right…or do they?

When children repay violence with violence, we say, “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

When governments repay violence with violence, we say, “Justice was served.”

I know most people reading this already have verses popping into their heads- maybe from Numbers 35, or even Romans 13. I know several people are already drumming up off-the-wall scenarios to question me with in the comments, and others are probably going to say something about Hitler.

But let’s put all these verses and scenarios aside for a moment (feel free to leave them in the comments, but please hear me out first!) and think about that little phrase that we all heard over and over again as children: “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

Do we really believe that? Or do we believe that two wrongs make justice?

Some people in this world do terrible things. And it’s easy to think to ourselves, “If anyone deserves death, it’s the murderers or the child abusers or the terrorists or…”

But do two wrongs make a right?

Does killing to show killers that killing is wrong work?

Do wars really lead to peace?

Or do we really believe in the redeeming grace of Jesus that turns murders into missionaries, and soldiers into saints?

Two wrongs don’t make a right. But one wrong- the undeserved execution of Jesus Christ- has the power to make everything right.

Do we really believe that? And if we did, would we be so quick to stand behind our government’s cheap, human version of justice?

I wonder…