Jury Duty

Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge 

is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.

--------Albert Einstein

A few months ago I received a summons to appear for Jury Duty at our County's Courthouse. I thought to myself that I really didn't want to do this. I have received two Jury Duty summons in the past and I did not have to appear for those, so I was hoping that would happen again. 

Upon entering the courtroom I saw that every seat was taken and my expectations of not being called were raised. Surely out of all of these people I won't be called, the odds, I thought, were in my favor. 

The first 13 people were called. They were asked a series of questions - "Will you be able to judge fairly?", "Do you have a problem with judging someone?", "Do you know the defendant?", "Will you be able to separate any information you may have heard from the actual facts?". After answering these questions, three people were removed from the jury box. Now the Clerk of the Court called three more names. My name was among those called.

I stepped into the jury box and took my seat. I raised my hand and took the oath to tell the truth and then I was asked all of the same questions. After a few minutes the prosecuting and defense lawyers made their final decision in the jury selecting process......I was on the jury. 

It was a little daunting knowing that I was going to be one of six people who would be giving this person a label of guilty or innocent.

We listened to all of the details of the case. We looked over the evidence that was entered into the trial and it was all very interesting, seeing how the court and a trial works. Once in awhile I would look at the defendant, she looked so nervous. I'm sure she just wanted all of this to be over as soon as possible.

After a day and a half we were asked to go back to the jury room and deliberate and make our decision. Is this defendant guilty or innocent?

Sitting in that jury box I thought about just how many times do I judge someone on a daily basis. Then I remembered something I read in the book, "The Shack" by Wm Paul Young. 

Mack is asked to judge The Judge and he replies, "What? Me? I'd rather not, I don't have the ability to judge." And the Judge replies, "Oh, that is not true. You have already proven yourself very capable. You have judged many throughout your life. You have judged the actions and even the motivations of others, as if you somehow knew that those were in truth. You have judged the color of skin and body language and body odor. You have judged history and relationships. You have even judged the value of a person's life by the quality of your concept of beauty. By all accounts, you are quite well-practiced in the activity."

 I was also reminded of the passage of scripture in Revelation 20:12  

"And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done."

I understand that the Law of our Land says that a person shall be judged by their peers if that person has presumably committed an offense against someone. 

By being on this jury it brought to light the importance of not judging anyone outside of a courtroom. God is my judge and who am I that I should be the judge of any one. I pray that the Lord forgives me for thinking otherwise. 

Have you ever been on a jury? Did it make you think twice the next time you were quick to draw a conclusion about someone?

Love from the Preacher and I

P.S.  Just in case you were wondering, we found the defendant 'not guilty'.