The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ

by Fleming Rutledge

The relation of justice to mercy is not always clear. We have all heard of moving and dramatic cases of parents or spouses who forgave the murderer of their loved one, often motivated in part by a certainty that this is what the victim would have wanted also. Tutu spoke often of the Biehl family from California, whose daughter Amy, a young white anti-apartheid activist, was cruelly murdered in 1993 by militant blacks in Cape Town. Her parents have traveled repeatedly to South Africa to offer forgiveness and to work with their Amy Biehl Foundation for helping black youths. On the other hand, however, the bishop also holds up the example of Stephen Biko’s family, who say they cannot and will not forgive the murderers of the black leader. Their stance, Tutu says, demonstrates that forgiveness is a “long and demanding process” and must never be cheapened.42 These are two opposing examples that illustrate the dialectic between justice and mercy.