Perfect Justice
July 25, 2019
I was summoned for jury duty in Collin County this week. On Monday morning, I sat crammed in a room of over 500 people. Eventually, my name was called as part of the jury pool for a criminal case. The jury pool is made up of 70 potential jurors from which the prosecution and defense will select the 12 members of the jury. I was juror number 30 of 70. The defendant was charged with Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault on a Child. I knew that because of the kind of case it was, many people would have legitimate concerns about serving on this jury. Because of that I was reasonably sure that they would not fill the jury before they reached me at 30. I was not eager to serve on this jury, but I did not give the magic answers that I knew would have resulted in my excusal either. Predictably, I was selected.
This was a very emotional case. We were asked to convict if we found beyond a reasonable doubt that the Defendant committed the offense with which he was charged. Otherwise, we had to acquit. After we as the jury began deliberations, I thought about our justice system. Our constitution guarantees the right to a jury trial, and that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Put 12 strangers together in a room and just about anything can happen. One very strong personality can dominate the room. Since criminal cases require a unanimous verdict to acquit or convict, one person can hang a jury and cause a mistrial. Jurors hear things differently, remember things differently, interpret things differently and come to the jury deliberation room from various different nationalities, religious backgrounds and worldviews.
In our case, 12 jurors were asked to determine a man’s guilt or innocence of a crime that could put him in jail for anywhere from years to 99 years or life. I’ve never held that power over someone else’s life before. It’s an incredible responsibility and burden to bear. We all wanted him to pay if he did it and to protect the victim and others from him. People asked questions like, “Can I put a man away for that length of time on this evidence?” “Can I live with myself if it turns out he did this and I helped set him free?” “What if I know he did something, but I’m not sure he committed the crime he is charged with?” “What does reasonable doubt mean anyway?”
The defense admitted that inappropriate contact happened but that there was not enough evidence to convict of the specific crime with which he was charged. We wrestled over the evidence. We debated whether there was enough. We wrestled with our emotions. Eventually, we decided that there was not enough evidence to convict him of the crime with which he was charged. So a man who is most definitely guilty of something is free today. My heart hurts today. I have a pit in my stomach. I have a daughter. Many of you do too. I think about other people’s daughters who could be this man’s next victims. I pray that he gets the help he needs before there is another victim. I ask myself, “Did I do my duty?” I tried to uphold the rule of law as best as I could. That means I can’t find him guilty of this crime just because he’s guilty of some crime. It’s not a perfect system. Sometimes, the innocent are convicted and the guilty go free. Trial by a jury of our peers is our American way. Though flawed, it’s still the best system of justice that ever been devised by man. It’s the very best that humans can do.
I’m grateful that though our system is flawed, God’s system of judgment has no flaws. God never has to wonder if He has all the facts, if someone is lying, if the video has been altered, if the statements were taken out of context, if the confession was coerced, or anything else. As the perfect, omniscient creator and judge of the universe, knowledge is not an issue for Him. He has perfect knowledge. Justice is not an issue for Him either. Psalm 7:11: “ God is a righteous judge.” Psalm 9:8: He will judge the world in righteousness. He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.” Isaiah 11:4: “But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.”
As I beat myself up today about whether we as a jury did the right thing, here’s what I know. 1) If our jury set a guilty man free, God still has the power to judge, and He will judge perfectly. 2) I have to accept my limited knowledge and ability to administer justice. Only God’s knowledge and judgment are perfect. God says, “Vengeance is mine. I will repay.” 3) God is still sovereign. Maybe this man is free today because God has a different plan for his life than a long stretch of time in prison. Maybe God will use him to help other sex offenders. 4) Our God is a God of grace. During jury selection, we were asked if we believed that a sex offender can be rehabilitated, or do we believe ‘once a sex offender, always a sex offender.’ I thought, with the Holy Spirit, anyone can be rehabilitated. I was. God saved a wretch like me. You were too. I pray that by the grace of God, this man will see the beauty of Jesus Christ and be saved and changed too. God is mighty to save. I ask that you pray with me.
