Isaiah 3:13
The Lord takes his place in court; he rises to judge the people. (NIV)

I remember the first time I was summoned for jury duty over 20 years ago. I received a thick, white envelope in the mail with a folded-up questionnaire inside. I only filled out the first page and sent it back to the County Court Complex. The first question on the first page asked if I was 18 years old—I marked no and indicated I was only 16. I had recently gotten my driver’s license and can only surmise that something was incorrectly filed. A couple of weeks later, I received a call with the notification that I was going to be arrested by the sheriff's office for failure to appear for jury duty. When they asked where I was at 9am that morning, I responded, “Algebra.” Again, I surmise they incorrectly filed my paperwork. 

It would be a decade later before I stepped foot in an actual courtroom. However, it was not as a juror and, thankfully, not as a defendant. I was living in Louisville, and I had just completed my second year of law school. I secured a position as a summer law clerk in Circuit Court. The courtroom was the best classroom I had. I wrote memos for the judge and drafted opinions for his review. Primarily, I observed the plethora of legal proceedings in the courtroom and watched cases unfold.

However, the most famous trial in history plays out in Matthew 27—the trial of Jesus. The chief priests and scribes had been plotting to kill Jesus, and through false accusations, Christ was brought to trial before the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate to be questioned. To Pilate’s amazement, Jesus gave no answer to the accusations against Him. Yet in the midst of this moment when Jesus is the defendant but remains silent, Pilate ends up being the one to plead his case for his own innocence: “…he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. ‘It is your responsibility!’” (v. 24). It’s an interesting moment in the story that’s easy to pass over, but don’t miss the significance: We see a reversal of who is really on trial here. It’s a subtle nod to the profound reality that Jesus took our place as the accused, yet there was no need to defend Himself because He is the real and true judge.

Thursday’s Reflection

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Only the righteousness of Jesus can bear our sin AND judge our sin so that we might become healed. Have you been judged, or have you judged others, from an unjust standard? Why is God’s standard both righteous and just?