One of the most tragic events in Civil Rights
history was the slaughter of Emmett Till in 1955. He was merely a fourteen year
old boy, and at the accusation of a woman to her husband that he had whistled
at her, he was brutalized and lynched. His murderers got away with it, and his
mother would have to live the rest of her days, until she died in 2003, with
the pain of losing her son because his skin color placed a target on his back.
It is the reminder of these events that strikes fear in the heart; knowing that
because of an ideology that said black and white people are not kin in the
flesh and that one (the white) should dominate the other, masses of dark
skinned people have suffered. The majority of these crimes from the time of
slavery through the Jim Crow era will never see justice on this earth as most
who were involved died long ago. However, in recent times people have tried to
find ways to right the wrongs of long ago. Even more recently, they are trying to
get justice for Emmett Till. Emmett Till’s slaughtering happened so long ago
that one is inclined to think there is nothing more that can be done. His
murderers are indeed dead, but the woman who accused him of whistling at her is
still alive. Her name is Carolyn Bryant Donham she is still alive but her days
are numbered as she is on hospice dying of cancer. She is eighty-nine years
old. Recently, I learned through a YouTuber who goes by Lamont At Large that
there will be a protest on September 17th in front of the apartments
she has been staying in with her son. It is organized by True Healing Under God
(T.H.U.G.), which is a Civil Rights activist group. I do not know much about
the organization hosting the protest, but hearing of this made me contemplate
the question; can there be healing without justice?
Before answering the question “Can there be healing
without justice?” I would first like to say justice is good. It is a virtue
from God that allows us to rightfully administer punishment and reward as is
due unto our neighbor. We, being fallen creatures, do not always administer
justice rightly but God is the perfect judge and in His sovereignty has already
set in stone His perfect justice to be doled out in the Last Day. This is
important to keep in mind as we further seek to answer the posed question. As I
continue to contemplate this question I remember the story of Cain & Abel.
Now the man had relations with his
wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have
gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” Again she gave birth to his
brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of the flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the
ground. So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to
the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel on his part also brought of the
firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for
Abel and his offering; but for Cain and his offering He had no regard. So Cain
became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the Lord said to Cain “Why are
you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your
countenance be lifted up” And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the
door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Cain told Abel his
brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up
against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is
Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” He
said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me
from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth
to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you cultivate the ground,
it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a
wanderer in the earth.” Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to
bear! Behold, You have driven me from the face of the ground; and from your
face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and
whoever finds me will kill me.” So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever
kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord appointed a
sign or Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.
Genesis 4:1-15
When Cain murdered his brother Abel I can imagine the
grief of his parents and siblings. The sting of death is a difficult burden to
bear, but when life is deprived because of murder it comes with an unspeakable
darkness. Even if it were not at the hands of his own brother, Abel’s death would
demand a cry of justice from the people, and to even the score that would mean
the death of Cain. Even Cain knew this and that is why he expressed this
concern to the Lord when he said, “My punishment is too
great to bear! Behold, You have driven me from the face of the ground;
and from your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on
the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” And
yet, when we look to the answer of the living God, we see He did not desire
Cain’s death. He cursed Cain for his crime, and in His mercy to keep others
from killing him He gave a sign for Cain that would serve as a reminder that
whoever kills him will be punished. So, what are we seeing in this passage? Is
there justice given here? Some would argue that there was not. If Cain’s life
was not the punishment it would be deemed unacceptable by some. It comes as no
surprise as humans remain the same until this day. After all, how often does
news of murder make the blood boil in the heart of the community? Yet it is God
who declared a different justice with Cain. He shows us that the life of the
murderer does not always need to be the judgment. God’s judgment is always right
and true, and if anyone would have dared to go against His decision concerning
Cain for their own desired outcome they would have to endure His wrath. Even in
these times we do not always see justice done in the way that we believe it
should be done. Consider Emmett Till and how his murderers got away with their
crime. Until this day there is an outcry for justice. That is why the protest
is going to happen. However, with the murderers being dead I cannot help but
question have we seen God’s decision declared? Even while they seek the
punishment to fall on Carolyn Bryant Donham she is on her death bed. Has God
said no to justice being sought for them on this earth? For this question I
would answer, no. The reputations of these people have been tarnished in history
books for future generations. Even Carolyn Bryant Donham has had to live life
in relative obscurity. So, this brings us back to the original question “Can
there be healing without justice?” And we must acknowledge that this is not the
real question, but rather the question is “Can there be healing without a
justice done in a manner that the majority of the populace would seek?” The
answer put simply is yes. Let us return to Cain and Abel’s story.
Adam had relations with his wife
again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has
appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” To Seth,
to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call
upon the name of the Lord.
Genesis 4:25
Abel’s family had to move on. Life would continue on
and a new generation who did not know Abel would be born. While his family may
have felt the sting of Abel’s death the generation who did not know him would not
know what it felt like to receive the news that he had been murdered by his
brother. They would not shed the same tears. They would only see the sadness in
the faces of those who knew him. That is how it is for all death. Only those
who truly knew the deceased feel the sting. Yet, there can be healing even for
the immediate family who feels the death if they trust the promise of God for His
promised salvation from the curse of sin and death. Even the first family of
Adam and Eve would have known this promise as God had proclaimed that he would
put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of serpent and that the
seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). The seed
of the woman is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. He has crushed the head
of the serpent indeed and all who hope in Him, though we suffer in this world
will see the glorious day when death is ended once and for all. Abel’s loved
ones will be joined to him again. As we can say for all of our loved ones in
Christ, we will meet again. Until then we persevere in this world. I am unsure
of how Emmett Till’s mother felt until the end of her days after the loss of
her son, but I do know the promise was for her and her son if they believed. It
is the same for Carolyn Bryant Donham, though she may not see the hand of justice that most people believes she deserves
in this life, if she is in the Lord she is forgiven. If she is not in the Lord
she will answer for how her hand played its role in the death of that young
boy.
