How God Feels About Casey Anthony
1 John 4:9-11
The media attention of the Casey Anthony trial is being called one of the biggest ratings draws in recent memory. The case involved the disappearance and death of two year old Caylee Anthony, whose remains were found almost five months after she was reported missing. Her mother, Casey Anthony, hid the fact that her child was missing for more than a month. This and other circumstances, made her the prime suspect, and on October 14, 2008, Casey Anthony was indicted by a grand jury on charges of first degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child, and four counts of providing false information to police.
On July fifth, the jury found Casey Anthony not guilty of the murder and other felony charges, and, found her guilty of four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer. Given credit for time served, Casey will be released from jail today.
When the "Not Guilty" verdict was rendered, there was significant outcry among the general public and media that the jury made the wrong decision, and that Casy Anthony’s actions as a neglectful mother, partier and liar, was also guilty of murder.
My question this morning, and the title of my sermon is, “How Does God Feel About Casey Anthony?” There is no need to retry Casey Anthony for the crimes that she is accused of. God knows everything about her. He knows what she’s done, where she was, and even what she was thinking. So, How does our all-knowing, Heavenly Father, feel about Casey Anthony?
Please join me in prayer.
Pray
I would like to begin this morning by reading three stories of Christ as He encountered sinful women during His time on earth.
The first, from John 4, begins, “Jesus left Judea and returned to Galilee.
4 He had to go through Samaria on the way. 5 Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. 7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Please give me a drink." 8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.
9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, "You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?"
10 Jesus replied, "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water."
11 "But sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket," she said, "and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, do you think you're greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?"
13 Jesus replied, "Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life."
15 "Please, sir," the woman said, "give me this water! Then I'll never be thirsty again, and I won't have to come here to get water."
16 "Go and get your husband," Jesus told her.
17 "I don't have a husband," the woman replied.
Jesus said, "You're right! You don't have a husband— 18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren't even married to the man you're living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!"
19 "Sir," the woman said, "you must be a prophet.” John 4:1-19, NLT
Another story, from John 8, “Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
4 "Teacher," they said to Jesus, "this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?"
6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, "All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!" 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?"
11 "No, Lord," she said.
And Jesus said, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more." (John 8:1-11, NLT)
My last story is from Luke 7, “One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. 37 When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. 38 Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She's a sinner!"
40 Then Jesus answered his thoughts. "Simon," he said to the Pharisee, "I have something to say to you."
"Go ahead, Teacher," Simon replied.
41 Then Jesus told him this story: "A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?"
43 Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt."
"That's right," Jesus said. 44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn't offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You didn't greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.
47 "I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love." 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven." (Luke 7:36-48, NLT)
Three examples of women who encountered Christ. Not perfect women, not even women who would be considered as good women, but instead, women who were despised by others, because of their behaviors and reputations. Yet within these three accounts, we find that Jesus showed kindness, respect, openness, protection, forgiveness and love.
Like these three, Casey Anthony, is a sinner. So how does God feel about her? He loves Her.
Eph 2:4,5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Eph 5:2 “…Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifices to God.”
1John 3:16, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”
God’s love was demonstrated by God Himself, Jesus Christ—His life, death and resurrection. The greatest example God has shown to mankind—sending His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. Jesus did not die on the cross for no reason at all. He died for us to pay the penalty for our sins. He died for Casey Anthony to pay the penalty for her sins.
How does God feel about Casey Anthony? He loves her. God loves Casey Anthony.
In 1 John 4 we find an incredible passage of Scripture about the love of God.
The very concept of love is one of the most permeating themes in modern society.
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Look carefully at verse 11, “ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:9-11, NIV)
This morning as I speak about God’s love it is important that each of us, as Christians, truly devoted followers of Christ understand that we must be:
A mind through which Christ Thinks.
A voice through which Christ Speaks.
A Hand through which Christ Helps.
And A Heart through which Christ Loves.
Let me tell you a story about a love of another kind. It is a story about a farmer who had some puppies for sale (from Charles Stanley in More Stories for the Heart, compiled by Alice Gray, 1997,p.15). He made a sign advertising the pups and nailed it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was nailing the sign to the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down to see a little boy with a big grin and something in his hand.
“Mister” he said, “I want to buy one of your puppies.”
“Well” said the farmer, “these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal.”
The boy dropped his head for a moment, then looked back up at the farmer and said, “I’ve got thirty nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?”
“Sure,” said the farmer, and with that he whistled and called out “Dolly, here, Dolly.” Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy’s eyes danced with delight.
Then out from the doghouse peeked another little ball; this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid and began hobbling in an unrewarded attempt to catch with the others. The pup was clearly the runt of the litter.
The little boy pressed his face to the nose of the little run and cried out, “I want this one.”
The farmer knelt down and said “Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you the way you would like.”
With that the boy reached down and slowly pulled up one leg of his pants. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe. Looking up at the farmer, he said “You see, sir, I don’t run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.”
God understands us and still loves us.
John 3:17-18 says, “For God did not send His Son into the world that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
Ephesians 2:4-6 expresses this of God, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions…” NIV
Ephesians 5:1-2, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” NIV
Kay was walking home from school one day when she noticed the girl ahead of her had tripped and spilled the bags she’d been carrying all over the sidewalk. As the girls trying to gather papers, books, clothing among other belongings, Kay knelt down and helped the girl pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same way, she helped to carry the burden.
As they walked Kay discovered the girl’s name was Sarah, that she loved same music as Kay, as well as they shared similar interests in art, and history. She also learned that Sarah, that he was having a lot of trouble with her other subjects and that she had just broken up with his boyfriend. They arrived at Sarah’s home first and Kay was invited in for a Coke and to watch some TV. The afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then Kay went home.
They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice. They ended up at the same High school where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally the long awaited senior year came, and three weeks before graduation, Sarah asked Kay if they could talk. Sarah reminded her of the day years ago when they had first met.
"Do you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things from school that day?" asked Sarah. "You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn’t want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mother’s pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together I realized that if I had, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Kay, when you picked up my books for me that day, you did a lot more. You saved my life."
An entry from Casey Anthony’s diary, dated June 21 reads in part, “I've made new friends that I really like. I've surrounded myself with good people.”
Wouldn’t it be great if those good people were Christians; the type who were loving, kind, and selfless, wanting to help her to find God?
The question I ask this morning is not, “How Does God Feel About Casey Anthony?” for we know the answer, but “How do we feel about Casey Anthony?”
If we had an opportunity to meet Casey Anthony, would we join the crowd which yells, “Baby Killer, Murderer” or would we embrace her and say, God loves you and so do I.
Would we use such an opportunity to speak our mind, tell her how we feel, despise her and turn our back on her, or would we reflect God’s love, allowing her to see Jesus in us.
Video: Do They See Jesus in Me?
