Who among us will ever forget the images of Saddam Hussein upon his capture and arrest?

Accused of horrendous crimes, his fate is now in the hands of others. I don’t envy Saddam Hussein. But I don’t envy those who will decide his fate either. What would you do with him? What would be the moral thing to do?

Justice, it seems, demands a very strong punishment, perhaps even death. Love, it seems, demands we forgive this man, allowing him to live.

What emotions do you feel for Saddam Hussein? My rage at his crimes moves me toward advocating for his death. But I wonder if this isn’t a purely human—and evil—effort to get revenge.

Surely we must take the means necessary to maintain justice and order in this world. This is one of the fundamental thrusts of ethics as it is worked out in civil societies. Yet my sense of God’s love for all humans, even Saddam Hussein, presses upon me. Shouldn’t I feel compassion and forgiveness for this man?

As quoted in the Dec. 16 edition of the New York Times, Cardinal Renato Martino of the Vatican’s Council for Justice and Peace said: “Seeing him like this, a man in his tragedy, despite all the heavy blame he bears, I had a sense of compassion for him.”

We should all feel a similar compassion for Hussein even as we seek justice in his trial and sentencing. Trying to blend justice and love is always hard for humans. I have never, ever, seen an occasion when we have gotten it right. That is why I would stop short of advocating death for Saddam Hussein. Punishment for his crimes is necessary; killing him is not.

What would Jesus do in this situation? Even if we humans have never managed to blend justice and love in an appropriate way, I think we can say that Jesus was an exception! In commenting on how well justice and mercy blend in Christ, Ellen White said: “Through Christ, Justice is enabled to forgive without sacrificing one jot of its exalted holiness” (7BC, 936; MS94, 1899).

Commenting upon Psalm 89:14 which speaks of God’s justice and judgment toward the wicked, she says further, “Justice has a twin sister that should ever stand by her side, which is Mercy and Love” (3BC, 1149; Letter 18e, 1890). Let us stand there next to Jesus where we belong.