Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Extend Mercy And Grace

You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. -- Obadiah v. 12

We live in a wonderful country that allows us to have trials by a jury of our peers. It’s a privilege we sometimes take for granted. And a privilege we frequently don’t want to be a part of.

I got called for jury duty recently. I was not a happy camper. Still, I was determined to go. What was the point in trying to get out of it? I’d just get called again. It’s better to get it over with. So I did.

And, yes, I was selected as a juror. Fortunately, the judge predicted it would only require a day. He was right. He seemed quite smart and competent. Personable even. Much nicer than those television judges I avoid like the plague.

That said, I hope I never, ever have to do it again. It was not a fun experience. I don’t revel in the fact that I was part of a wonderful event. It wasn’t pleasant listening to people lie -- and both sides tripped themselves up -- and even less fun having to make a decision with a group of very different folks.

That’s the point I suppose. But getting everyone to stick to the facts was difficult. Personalities were all over the place. And personal agendas can’t be totally hidden.

One woman seemed determined that the defendant “pay,” insisting that he had the money. We did explain that was irrelevant. I wondered how she thought she knew anything about the man’s finances. It wasn’t part of the testimony and I didn’t get the impression she was privy to his bank statements. But she’d already judged him guilty based on her own prejudices.

Others found themselves feeling sorry for the plaintiff based on their own experiences. Again, not relevant to this case. But none of us can leave our prejudices at the door. It’s impossible.

Why do we always want someone to pay? And why do we need to take our own experiences out on someone else? And why do we get such pleasure in seeing someone else take a fall? Do we secretly think it’s justice? Do we feel better about ourselves if someone else has something bad happen?

It is never wise to gloat over the misfortunes of others. Nor should we rejoice when others take a fall, even -- or maybe especially -- if we secretly think they deserved it. We deserve death for our sins. Each and every one of us. But God showed us mercy. Jesus gave us grace. Shouldn’t we also extend the same mercy and grace to others?