So I have jury duty today… It’s my duty as a citizen and it’s my loving service to my fellow citizens. Since we have the constitutional right to be tried by a jury every citizen should be ready and willing to serve as a juror when a fellow citizen needs him to. But as I reflect upon my duty today and upon our right to a jury this question comes to mind: Why does a guilty man want the right to be tried by a jury?
Maybe it’s because he don’t trust the judge to be fair. Nothing against the judge, but he may be biased by his upbringing or prejudiced by his high station. But more importantly, he’s only one mind and one point of view. Alternatively, being tried by a jury invites 12 minds to the case. A jury of our peers comforts us that they come from the walks of real life, with real families like ours, with real jobs like ours, with real problems like ours. And this comforts us because we expect their likeness to us to make them compassionate, sympathetic, and fair. And if one juror might be unavoidably biased or prejudiced––since none can escape the influences which raised and shape him––the others will provide the necessary balance and evenness to ensure a fair judgment. So we trust a jury of peers more than we trust a judge.
NOTE: this article in no way means to impugn our justice system or our constitutional right. This article presupposes a guilty man not wanting to face the consequences of his wrong.
But I think there’s something else to it as well. I think another reason a guilty man prefers to be tried by a jury is because he views the judge as “all law,” “no mercy,” and “black and white,” and he views a jury of peers as compassionate, understanding, and merciful. You see, we know the judge can’t do anything but call the facts as he sees them. We expect the man in that seat to do what the law tells him to do. We know he sits in the seat of justice and we expect him to be just. If he weren’t just he wouldn’t be worthy of the title of judge. Judges are to be just. If they can’t be just then they should put down the gavel and take up another line of work.
What, then, of the jury? Well, we know they’re not bound by the laws of justice as the judge is; they’re free to judge as they see it. But more importantly, we’re also free to tell them how to see it. In other words, we’re free to explain the situation to them, we’re free to inform them of the extenuating circumstances surrounding our actions, we’re free to do everything in our power to persuade them to see it as we see it and therefore absolve us of any guilt. In a real sense, we know that they don’t have to be “just” and can be “understanding,” “realistic,” and “objectively minded.” We know that things aren’t always as they appear and that appearances can be deceiving and so we’d rather be tried by a jury than by a judge. We believe the jury will listen, will hear us out; and we believe that the judge will not. I’d like to say more, but I need to go––I have jury duty.
Let me close with this: our expectations of an earthly judge reflect what we innately know of the coming Judgment. Our consciences inform us that we’ll one day stand before the Judge of heaven and earth and be tried, not by a jury of peers, but by Him. He will take His seat and will call the facts as He sees them. He will be perfectly just and mercy will have no place in His judgment because a Judge must be just. There will be no jury to persuade, no jury to convince, no jury to illuminate with our list of extenuating circumstances. The facts will be on display for all to see and the Judge will so perfectly judge the facts that even we ourselves will bow to it, fully conscious that His judgement is right and we are receiving what we deserve.
So are you prepared for that Day? Are you prepared to be judged by THE Judge? There’s only one way to be prepared, and that’s by heeding His invitation today. For He who on that Day will judge justly is on this day graciously offering you a righteousness in advance of that Day. His gospel offers you a righteousness, even His own righteousness, which you may present that Day as your own and thereby be fully and eternally acquitted. If you will but surrender to Him as Lord today, you’ll find Him to be your Friend on that Day. If you’ll accept Him as Saviour today, you’ll find Him to be your Defense Attorney on that Day. If you’ll bow to His just judgment of you today–that you’re a wretched sinner worthy of death–and receive His mercy today–offered to you freely by faith in Him–and let Him wash all your sins away today–then on that Day, you’ll have nothing to fear. When you stand before Him, He’ll know you as His own, He’ll see the righteousness He gave you, He’ll see that your sins are all washed away by the blood of His cross, and He’ll justly declare you innocent of all your sins and in possession of all His righteousness.
You see, as a guilty sinner, you must make preparation for that Day, lest it come upon you by surprise. And the only preparation you can make is by surrendering to Christ today as your Lord and Saviour. For none will be able to stand before Him without fear but those who fear and love Him now. In short, to admit guilt today, when He’s in the business of forgiving and justifying, is the only way to be free of guilt on that Day when His only business will be to judge justly.
