Bible and the Headlines: News You Can Use

By Editor | January 28, 2025

I beg your pardon

By David Bachelor, PhD

A person could be forgiven for being exhausted by all the headlines containing the word “pardon.” Since the November elections, every week there was a variety of stories about Presidential pardons. The last seven days was no exception, but it was worth noting that not all of those pardoned in this spate accepted the President’s largesse.

On January 23rd, Al Jazeera examined the history of executive pardons in, “How Do Donald Trump’s Pardons Compare with Other US Presidents?” The piece explained where the power to pardon originates, “Article II of the US Constitution grants a sitting president the power to forgive individuals for federal crimes, releasing them from further punishment or other legal consequences.” The article mentions, but does not tally, the blanket pardon of nearly 50,000 draft evaders by President Jimmy Carter on his first day in office. It was noted George Washington gave the first presidential pardon “… to leaders of the Whiskey Rebellion, a violent tax protest.”

The headline for ABC’s Cincinnati affiliate WCPO 9, on January 25th was, “’It Sends a Terrible Message to Law Enforcement’: Cincinnati FOP Denounces Recent Presidential Pardons.” The trigger event for the story was President Trump’s pardon of 1500 people charged for their activities on January 6, 2021. Commenting on both Presidents Biden’s and Trump’s recent pardons, the spokesman for the Cincinnati chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police stated, “It sends a dangerous message that the consequences for attacking law enforcement are not severe, potentially emboldening others to commit similar acts of violence.” At least twelve citizens of Greater Cincinnati were included in the pardons.

The Indian network NDTV on January 26th featured, “January 6 US Capitol Attackers Are Rejecting Donald Trump’s Pardon. Here’s Why.” Two of those convicted of misdemeanor crimes on the Capitol grounds have issued statements rejecting their absolution. The duo “… believe their actions on January 6, 2021, were not pardonable and accepting Mr. Trump’s clemency would contribute to ‘propaganda’ that the attack ‘was a peaceful protest’.” The article did not say whether the pair had served their 60-day or 90-day sentence, but noted that legal experts disputed whether rejecting a pardon was a possibility.

All four Gospels recount the executive-issued pardon that never was. This what-if is central to Jesus’ experience with the Roman judicial process. The circumstances around Pilate’s intervention had parallels to George Washington’s involvement with the Whiskey Rebellion. Pilate was confronted with an embryonic insurrection (Matt 27:24). At the center of the disturbance was two ‘insurrectionists’: 1) Barabbas who had taken part in an uprising” (Joh 18:40); and 2) Jesus who was charged by the chief priests with “… subverting the nation and opposed to paying taxes to Caesar” (Luk 23:2).

The events in the Biblical narrative are the antithesis of Cincinnati’s WCPO’s story listed above. Barnabas was as guilty of disrupting the government as the confessed duo from January 6th, yet Barnabas had no problem taking the pardon (Luk 23:25). Jesus, who was innocent (Matt 27:9), received no pardon but was instead condemned to death (Joh 19:16). Pilate’s failure to pardon Jesus resulted in a blanket pardon larger than the one Jimmy Carter gave to the Vietnam draft dodgers.

By the innocent Jesus going to the cross as a guilty man, the Bible says, “God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our guilt. Then, in exchange, God poured Christ’s innocence into us! (2Co 5:21). The Bible also says who is covered by this pardon, “Everyone who trusts in Jesus is freed from all guilt and declared righteous” (Acts 13:39). Unlike a presidential pardon, each of us has to accept this pardon for ourselves in order to receive it.

Posted in Lifestyles