For most of my life, I could say that I had never been summoned for jury duty. Then it happened. I received the notice in the mail and called the number. I was not only summoned, I was chosen to serve on the jury. The case was not a huge deal, except to those involved. Without going into a lot of detail, the case involved whether, in the eyes of the law, a man was competent to determine his own affairs. Was he capable of caring for himself and determining his own course of action for his life? Or was he not mentally competent enough to determine what was best for himself?
We the jury were not all on the same page. And so, in a comic remake of 12 Angry Men, we deliberated for 3 days about the outcome of the case, and, ultimately, this man’s future. Some were very quick to point out the things he had done that proved his mental incompetence. Others were quick to point out that the fate of his life – his freedom – hung in the balance of our decision. It really came down to two trains of though: Justice, or Mercy.
Some people thought that he deserved what was coming to him. He had done some pretty stupid things that showed that he had at least made some very bad decisions recently. Were they bad enough to put him in a home for the rest of his life? Some thought so. Your actions had consequences and they had determined that he deserved those consequences.
Others were more forgiving. We have all made some poor decisions in life, but that didn’t mean that we should pay the consequences of every bad choice. And, so they reasoned, although he had done some things that normal people wouldn’t do, they did not determine that it was bad enough to take his freedom from him. They were willing to err on the side of mercy.
And so it went. In the end, it really boiled down to the definition of incompetent in the eyes of the law. As we dug into the testimony and reviewed the law, 11 of us made the determination that, although he had done some questionable things and made poor decisions, he wasn’t crazy in the eyes of the law. The last holdout determined that no matter what the law said, because of his decisions and actions, he deserved the loss of his freedom, his family relationships or whatever remained of his life. There are consequences to our actions.
Which camp do you fall into? Justice or mercy? There are certainly examples of both in the Bible. God is a God of justice.
“For I, the Lord, love justice… ~ Isaiah 61:8”
“…For the Lord is a God of justice… ~ Isaiah 30:18
And yet we see that God is also a God of mercy.
“For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy to all them that call on you.” ~ Psalms 86:5
“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… ~ Ephesians 2:4
In Matthew, we are told to turn the other cheek when someone slaps us. Show mercy.
In 1 Samuel 15, God tells Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites – “men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels and donkeys.” Harsh justice for a bad choice.
I see Christians who fall into both camps. There are those who demand justice for those who do not line up with how they think things ought to be. We even see those on the fringes who have decided to take action against homosexuals, abortion clinics and others who do not live up to their standard of righteousness.
On the other side of the coin, we have those who excuse nearly everything – even blatant sin in the name of mercy. God is a God of love and mercy. Therefore he won’t punish wrong because he is so loving.
How do we respond to issues that seem to demand justice or mercy? Do we carry a gun to shoot those who would harm us, or do we pray our way out of those situations? What is our response to homosexuals? Do we condemn them all to hell, or do we show them kindness and love? What about the people who mistreat us in life? We’ve had bosses who treated us poorly. Spouses don’t always show us the love they should. Family and friends often treat us poorly or make bad decisions and choices. Do we show them justice, or mercy?
I think the answer is found in the words of Jesus: “Do unto others whatever you would like them to do to you.” ~ Matthew 7:12
Do you deserve justice, or mercy for your wrong choices? The Bible says that we have all missed it (Romans 3:23). It also tells us what the consequences of missing it are (Romans 6:23). And yet we are told that God doesn’t remember our past mistakes, or even our outright rebellion when we confess that we have missed it and ask for his forgiveness (Hebrews 8:12). So what about all of those who continue to miss it? What about those who kill the unborn? Or those who continue to live in a way that dishonors God? What about those who slander Christianity and refuse to change and continue to make bad decisions? What about them?
The simple answer is: What about them? We as Christians are never told to administer justice on sinners. We are however told to show others the same mercy that we think we deserve. “So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.” ~ James 2:13
A stricter warning is found in Matthew 7 ~ For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
That verse should scare some of you. We should set the example for those who do not know Christ. Be the example that God has called us to be to those who have no idea what God is like. Let him sort out the rest. Oh – and the verdict in the trial? Mercy won.