UPDATED Today’s AMI Devotional QT, originally posted on January 11, 2019, is provided by Pastor Ryun Chang.
Devotional Thought for This Morning
“If You’re the One Accused, Would You Want Due Process?”
Psalm 9:7-8 (ESV)
“But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, 8 and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.”
Today we’re going back a few years, to the middle of Trump’s first term. The whole country was riveted while watching the confirmation hearing for then–Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, when Blasey Ford accused him of attempted rape some 35 years earlier. Kavanaugh denied it while acknowledging that “she may have been sexually assaulted” by someone else. In response, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer insisted that “the sexual misconduct allegations are reason enough for him to withdraw,” adding, “there is no presumption of innocence or guilt when you have a nominee before you.”
Upon hearing what Schumer said, I couldn’t help but think of the Inquisition. Many bring it up in public discussion to silence the Christian faith itself—including former President Obama—but I’m not too sure they know what it was really about. The 44th POTUS, trying to put into perspective the violent Muslims of the Islamic State, said, “During… the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ.” Well, that’s not completely true. The Inquisition carried out during the Middle Ages was a potent tool the Roman Catholic Church employed to root out beliefs it deemed heretical in order to remain in power, and the principal victims were the Protestants (i.e., our spiritual ancestors). That is why “in time the phrase Inquisition became a byword, particularly in Protestant areas, for cruelty…” (Encarta 1994). All this to say: the Inquisition had little to do with Christ.
Now, consider how the Inquisition was typically conducted. Accused Protestants who did not recant their alleged heresies were tried under the following conditions: “The names of witnesses [for the Inquisitor] were… difficult to discover. The suspect was not allowed a defense lawyer… [and] did not know the names of his accusers… Torture was a most effective means to secure repentance” (Finucane 1977:321). Under the office of the Inquisition, being accused, in effect, meant being already found guilty. The approach preferred by Schumer and the Inquisition is called undue process.
Now consider Paul and Joseph. If you are ever accused of the charges leveled against them, what process would you prefer: due or undue process?
The commander of the Roman troops in Jerusalem, seeking to appease the angry mob that wanted to kill Paul for alleged blasphemy, ordered that he be flogged. But that order was rescinded as soon as Paul told the commander that he was “a Roman citizen” (Acts 22:25). Still under accusation, Paul wasn’t released that day; he did, however, exercise the rights of Roman citizens by appealing his case to the Emperor (25:21). Festus, the Roman governor, having no choice but to accommodate Paul, put him on a ship sailing toward Rome. That’s due process.
Potiphar’s wife seemed believable when she insisted that Joseph—whom her husband had put in charge of the house—“came in here to sleep with me” (Gen. 39:14). After all, everyone recognized the cloak she held as Joseph’s. So when Potiphar “heard the story his wife told him,” he immediately “put him in prison” (39:19–20). No grand jury, no trial—this is undue process.
So, what process would you prefer if you are the accused?
We live in America—not Europe in the Middle Ages—where the presumption of innocence is a basic ethos of our criminal justice system. Thus, the Miranda rights are read to any criminal suspect; the grand jury weighs probable cause to determine whether the accused should be prosecuted; and a public defender is assigned to any accused who wants one. This is called due process, and it originates from God Himself, because “God is a righteous judge” (Ps. 7:11) who “judges the peoples with uprightness” (9:8b). Thus, the LORD says to the accused, “Present your case… Set forth your arguments” (Isa. 41:21 NIV).
So then, be fair when you make accusations; don’t rush to judgment. Jesus says, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment” (John 7:24 NIV), because that’s what you would want if you were the accused.
Prayer: Father, we praise You for being a fair Judge who judges us not only in accordance to Your righteous standard but with grace and mercy. We are especially grateful that You do “not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (Ps. 103:10). Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Colossians 3
Lunch Break Study
John 19:6-12 (ESV): As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” 7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” 13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. 15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. 16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
Questions to Consider
1. What law is Pilate following? What is his verdict based on that?
2. Under what law were the Jewish leaders attempting to accuse Jesus? Why? Did the Jewish leaders alter their original charge against Jesus (under the Jewish law) once they realized that Pilate was going release Him?
3. In view of your findings, would you consider this a fair trial?
4. At the personal level, do you argue with your friend/spouse/child/co-worker at all cost just to win, i.e., get what you want?
Notes
1. The Roman governor Pilate was obviously following the Roman law that has no stipulation against any Jewish person claiming to be the Son of God. Such an individual will surely be deemed as crazy but certainly not deserving of death. Besides, Pilate “knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus to him” (Matt. 27:18).
2. The Jewish leaders initially found Jesus guilty of blasphemy based on their law, but once they saw that Pilate wasn’t biting, they switched over to the Roman law and presented Jesus, not as the Son of God, but a king who opposes Caesar. The charge was no longer blasphemy but sedition.
3. Of course, it wasn’t a fair trial. Furthermore, what the Jewish leaders said earlier to Pilate wasn’t exactly true either: “But we have no right to execute anyone” (Jn. 18:31). Legally, that was true but that didn’t keep them from executing those whom they deemed as blasphemous like Stephen (Acts 7:59-60). They didn’t try to execute Jesus because “they were afraid of the crowd” (Matt. 21:46).
4. At the personal level, let’s allow the facts and truths to prevail, not our desire to win at all cost that always distorts how we see the reality that surrounds us.
Evening Reflection
Rarely do we go through an entire day without contending for something or arguing in favor of something—whether in our workplaces, homes, classrooms, or in conversations about politics, sports, and so on. Now, Jesus says, “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly” (Jn. 7:24). Based on how you presented your thought, opinion, or conviction to others, would you say you were being fair? If not, what does that reveal about you? And how do you need to change so that your speech and conduct reflect our God, who is a fair and righteous Judge?
