It was perhaps the longest two days of my life.
But when you have sixteen hours to sit quietly in a room full of strangers, you have a little time to think, and to pray, and to wonder…who are my peers? Are these people my peers? If I were on trial, defending my very life and existence, are these the people I would have to decide my fate?
Men and women. Young and old. Beautiful and sloppy. Clean and smelly. Married for decades and recently divorced. Depressed, elated, crazy. White, yellow, black, brown, and every shade in between. Stay at home moms, executive level suits. People who were angry to be there “wasting their time” for a measly twenty-five bucks. Others who were thanking God for twenty-five dollars that would pay for their family’s next meal and hoping to come back tomorrow for another. A menagerie of our country’s citizens all randomly selected for a singular purpose.
I heard a sermon one time of how Jesus picked the “irregulars” to be his disciples in his earthly ministry. He did not choose the most popular, the religious leaders, or the political powers of his day. He chose the outcasts, the rejected and hated ones. He chose dirty fisherman and that low-down, dirty, cheating tax collector. He chose men with bad tempers and doubtful hearts. He chose the ones no one else wanted. And he called them his brothers and friends. He chose each of us. I think sometimes that in my pursuit of Jesus, I have become a magnet for “irregulars”–I find people who stand out to be interesting and enlightening. And yes, sometimes challenging. But it reminds me….
Jesus was the original DEI chairman (diversity, equality, inclusion). He carefully crafted a world full of uniquely designed individuals who think, feel, look, vote, behave, believe, and dress differently. No two people are exactly alike. Even identical twins will have some differences! And yet, he tells us that we are all equal. We are all neighbors. We are all deserving of respect, fair treatment, kindness, mercy, compassion, and love.
I met some very unique people in my two days in the jury room. As we were vetted to be appropriate candidates for this particular trial, each person in my group of twelve reacted and responded differently as the heinous charges were read. And yet, the person seated at the defense table was still our neighbor.
For several days after being released from the jury pool, I thought about the people I met and the people in that courtroom. I prayed for a more open heart and mind, one that would not make immediate judgments or biases based on someone’s outward appearance or wardrobe choices, but a heart that would see first the common denominators. I prayed for strength, wisdom, discernment, and safety for the lawyers and judges who uphold the ideals of our country’s justice system and for the deputies and public servants who maintain order in a chaotic world. I prayed for the defendant and for the victim, and for the families of both, that truth and justice would prevail. And that even if not, God would provide peace to the wronged and knowledge that ultimately vengeance is the Lord’s and right judgment and punishment WILL come. (Romans 12:19, Deuteronomy 32:35).
And so, the challenge then becomes this: how are we loving our neighbors? The “irregulars”, the ones with whom you share very little common ground, the ones who vote oppositely from you, the ones who seem to be confused about their purpose or existence, the ones who are criminals, the ones who are victims, the ones who suffer, the ones who party, the ones who believe themselves to be sinless, the ones who offend you the most? Let us all be reminded of Jesus’s words:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
(Matthew 25: 31-46)
Let’s leave the judging to Jesus, and let’s extend love, mercy, and grace today!