Articles
Final Thoughts from the Courthouse - 3
Here are some final thoughts from my jury experience:
Life is full of gray areas. From a distance, it is easy to think that situations are black and white, that people are uncomplicated and that right and wrong are easily discernable. However, the closer you get, the more complex life appears. This is not to say that truth is relative; it is to say that human beings are finite in knowledge and judgment. This makes it very difficult to precisely assess the actions and motives of others.
As the trial unfolded, questions arose about the accuracy of the testimony of both the accuser and the defendant. Were they lying? Did they inadvertently forget details that were added in later testimony? Were there cultural misunderstandings (both parties were from a west African nation)? Further, the accuser’s actions were suspect on various points. Did this undermine her credibility, or was she acting irrationally due to the post-traumatic stress of her assault? The jury lamented not having evidence that pointed clearly to guilt or innocence. We had to make judgments based on conflicting statements and actions that seemed irrational to those outside the situation.
Our struggle to discern the true facts of the case is a warning against drawing premature, inadequate conclusions about our fellow man. The Lord admonishes us: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (Jn 7: 24). Prejudice, projection, premature assumptions and hypocrisy (Mt 7:1-6) derail this grave responsibility.
You can wreck your life in one moment of folly. The young man on trial had no prior record. He went to college in Sierra Leone, joined the military and quickly advanced in rank. He was in the U.S. for special joint training exercises with the Marines. He seemed on track to overcome Third World disadvantages and make something of his life. But the ill-advised actions of one night completely wrecked all of that opportunity. He will spend the next ten years of his life in prison.
We don’t usually make such a mess of things overnight. Rather, we imperceptibly drift toward danger, rationalizing, excusing and getting bolder as we “get away” with lesser indiscretions. But eventually we cross the line and are held to account. Many public figures (celebrities, politicians, athletes, etc.) have recently lost their jobs, wrecked their reputations and destroyed their families by foolish choices.
Scripture documents this folly in the life of David. Not content with his wives and concubines, David’s unbridled lust ravished the wife of a loyal subordinate, and David murdered him to cover his crime. For this egregious transgression God said, “The sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife … I will raise up adversity against you from your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor … for you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel” (2 Sam 12:10-12). A moment’s illicit pleasure is not worth the cost that will inevitably be exacted, especially in this modern age where nearly everything we say and do is being recorded.
Sin is ugly. There is no doubt that sin has its attractive features. Just as Eve saw that “the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit” (Gen 3:6). And we replicate that process over and over in our own lives.
But sin also has a dark and ugly side that it is destructive, demeaning and dehumanizing. Sexuality is like motor oil: In its proper place, hidden in the crankcase of an engine, the oil bathes the pistons, valves, camshaft and other moving parts with lubrication that enables them to withstand tremendous friction and heat. Likewise, marital intimacy lubricates the relationship with loving pleasure that soothes and lowers the emotional temperature of a couple living in close fellowship. I know from experience that motor oil outside of an engine is a gross mess. It pollutes, stains and sticks to everything it touches, and it is nearly impossible to clean up. So it is with indiscriminate, unbridled sexuality – as well as other sins.
Part of the growth of wisdom is recognizing this side of sin before succumbing to temptation. Gossip brings the temporary pleasure of being “in the know” and inappropriately venting one’s feelings, but it eventually undermines trust. Lying provides momentary relief from the dread of shame or exposure, but the original transgression is magnified when our lying is discovered. Stealing offers a temporary high of illicit gain but nearly everyone despises a thief when they are finally caught.
The testimony we heard was ugly and wretched. Sin was exposed for what it really is. Let us not wait till we are found out, or worse – until judgment day – to recognize the heinousness of sin. May we learn to see the dark side of sin and prudently avoid it, knowing that it cannot possibly keep the promises it makes.
We need to be forced out of our comfort zones. That happened to me as a juror. And while uncomfortable, it was beneficial. We naturally ease into a predictable framework of life. We gravitate toward familiar routines, habits and worldview, and when these go unchallenged they subtly pressure us to bend reality to fit our assumptions. It is good to be tested, to be knocked off stride so that we see ourselves and others through a different lens. Only then will we have the clarity apply God’s truth to life and be the influence for God that He wants us to be.
