How should a Christian view jury duty?
A couple of weeks ago, I got called for jury duty. Like many in the USA, I have had to report for jury duty a few other times in my life. In this country, it is the mandatory civic obligation, where individuals are randomly selected from voter and driver lists to serve on a court-called jury to decide the facts in a trial. Something different happened this time. I actually got selected to serve on a jury! It was a four-day trial on a sexual assault case. Let’s say that serving on a jury was not what I had planned for that week. My attitude went through a process.
(1) I really don’t want to be here. I have too much to do this week. I will have to reschedule seven meetings.
(2) I’ve always wanted to serve on a jury. It will be an interesting experience. But I really don’t have time for this.
(3) Proverbs 17:15 says, “Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—the Lord detests them both.” Ok, Lord, it appears to be your will for me to be on this jury. Please correct my attitude and give me the discernment I need to come to the right judgment.
Throughout the trial, my mind bounced around between (1), (2), and (3). However, the longer I served, the more I was able to settle on (3). God cares about justice. So should I. If I can somehow contribute to justice, I am all in!
After all was said and done, I enjoyed the process (for the most part). I learned a great deal about the USA’s justice system. I was also reminded of the utter depravity of humanity apart from Christ.
Here are my key takeaways:
The jury selection process, otherwise known as voir dire, is more focused on the attorneys getting people on the jury they think will lean their way than it is on getting the most qualified people possible on the jury. This was frustrating and discouraging to observe.
After nearly three full days of the trial, we the jury found the defendant guilty on all charges in a matter of minutes. It was about as open and shut as a “he said, she said” case could possibly be. I felt for the defense attorneys having to attempt to defend the indefensible and excuse the inexcusable. They gave it their best effort, but there was no reasonable doubt. It was extremely interesting knowing that they were defending someone who was guilty, and at the same time, agreeing that people accused of crimes deserve a vigorous defense, just in case that they are, in fact, not guilty of those crimes.
Numbers 32:23, “…be sure your sin will find you out” is absolutely true. Incredibly and horribly, the perpetrator would have gotten away with it if he had just kept his mouth shut and left the victim alone. But, “…the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:46). The tongue is a restless evil, full of deadly poison (see James 3:8).
After we completed our exceedingly brief deliberations and returned the guilty verdict, some of the other jurors were celebrating that the rapist will likely spend well over a decade in prison. One of them even made a joke about how the rapist is going to be treated in prison. Don’t get me wrong. I, too, was grateful to know that the guilty will be punished. I was not rejoicing over his fate, however. I was grieving his sinful decisions and asking God to wake up his soul. His life will be forever changed for the worse. Even after his release from prison, he will remain on the sex offender’s registry and will forever struggle to get a good job. I am glad that justice was done. I weep that this young man destroyed his life. His sinful choices had dire consequences.
As I was walking away from the courthouse, I prayed for healing for both the victim and the assailant. For the victim, I prayed that God would heal her mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and through Christ, spiritually. For the assailant, I prayed that God would bring him to repentance, that God would send someone to him in prison who will minister the truth of the gospel to him, and that God would somehow bring about good in what is now the shambles of his life.
Overall, I am thankful for the experience. It was eye-opening and educational. In the end, I am confident that I contributed to justice being served.
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
S. Michael Houdmann
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