Paid

The crime show last night was about the Green River Killer - Gary Ridgway, one of the most notorious serial killers in the United States. In November of 2003 he pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated murder, although he says he actually killed 90 women or more, almost all prostitutes. He started the killings in early 1980s, and for almost twenty years, he was able to evade the police. He has an IQ of 82, however, he was doing all the 'right things' to not to get caught. In exchange for not receiving the death penalty, he pleaded guilty to all those accounts of murders and disclose the location of some of the women he has buried.

At his sentencing, many family members were allowed to make statements in court to the killer of their beloved family members. One by one, they walked up to the stand and looked him in the eye with utter hatred and despise, cursing him with the worst possible words and thoughts.

"You belong in hell, and you will never come out of it."
"I hope you have a long, horrible, painful death, just like what you did to my sister."

Gary Ridgway sat there, listening to all of them with a stone cold face, not one ounce of remorse, not one of his face muscles moved.

Until the father of a young girl who was murdered stepped on the stand.

"There are many people who hate you in this room, but I am not one of them. Although you have made it very hard to live up to what I believe. My belief in God asks that I forgive you, and I do. I forgive you for killing my daughter. You are forgiven."

Before the father even finished, Gary Ridgway's mouth turned down, then he buried his face in his hands and started sobbing in the crowded courtroom.

This is the most dramatic scene I have seen on how powerful forgiveness is.

The lamb's blood covering us, and we are forgiven. What that father did was only possible because he knew he was forgiven himself, his own sin was paid in full when Jesus died on the cross.

Isn't this what the Chinese word 義 is all about? 羊 (lamb) over 我 (me), and it is 義 (justified).