Day 5 - The Defense Rests
1 John 2:1-2
Scripture Passage: 1 John 2:1-2
Focal Verse(s): My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one. He himself is the atoning sacrifice[a]for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world. ~ 1 John 2:1-2 (CSB)
You’ve been accused of a horrific crime. The evidence has been piled up against you. And you are now in the courtroom for your trial.
The prosecutor glances over at you with a smug smile as you await the judge to take the bench. He’s got you dead to rights and you know he’s going to request the harshest penalty allowed by law once the jury comes up with the inevitable verdict.
You’re guilty after all. There’s no denying it. You know you committed the crime. You’re not sure why you did it. Maybe a lapse in judgment. Maybe it was the way you were raised. You’d watched your parents and grandparents commit the exact same crime throughout your life. You are, after all, from a family of career criminals spanning generations.
The bailiff announces the entrance of the judge. Everyone in the courtroom stands as he strides in and takes his seat behind the bench. After he sits, so does everyone else. You take a deep breath. It’s about to begin and you know all is lost before the charges are even read before the court.
You feel a gentle hand on your arm and glance over at your defense attorney. Like the prosecutor, he’s smiling too, but there’s no smugness behind it. Just understanding mixed with confidence. It alleviates some of your anxiety.
Yes, you’re part of a career criminals family who’s faced these exact same charges before. They were all convicted and sentenced and it hadn’t turned out so good for them. The one difference between you and the rest of your clan is your attorney. From what you hear, he’s the best in the biz. The cream of the crop. He’d make Daniel Webster look like little more than a first year law school student.
That warm and confident smile he gives you does more than ease some anxiety. It makes you think everything is truly going to be okay. You know you should be trembling with fear. The gallows, after all, should be part of your future. You deserved them after all for everything you’ve done. And yet, his smile and those twinkling eyes of his makes you wonder if he might just have a chance of beating this rap.
The charges are read aloud. Definitely some serious red in your ledger. But your attorney squeezes your hand now and a calm washes over you. He’s got to have some trick up his sleeve you’re not aware of. Some legal magic he’s going to pull out of a hat at the last minute. You hope.
The prosecutor goes through his arguments. He introduces all the evidence against you. The courtroom seems to dim, as if the overhead fluorescent lights had just lost some of their illumination. Your pulse quickens. You feel your own pulse thudding against your temples. It’s far worse than you ever imagined. Then, the prosecutor rests.
Your defense attorney stands up and addresses the court:
“Your Honor,” he says. “My client is guilty of the charges levied against him.”
Your entire world just drops out from under you. The courtroom spins uncontrollably. You feel feint. Did your attorney just sell you out? What kind of defense is this? You feel betrayed.
Your lawyer steps around the desk you’re both sitting and turns to the jury. “He’s most definitely guilty. There’s no denying it.”
Shut up. Shut up. Shut up, you think to yourself. What are you doing to me?
As if knowing your thoughts, the attorney glances around at you and offers a knowing wink and a mischievous grin before turning his attention to the prosecutor.
“My client was, after all, a criminal. As a matter of fact, he even admitted to me that he committed all those crimes and many more,” the attorney says and you can practically feel the hangman’s noose around your throat with every word. “But my client no longer exists.”
The jury murmurs amongst themselves at these words. The rest of the court erupts in exclamations of dismay. The judge brings down his gavel to bring his courtroom under control.
“And the same day my client confessed his numerous crimes to me, something happened,” the attorney says. “I went ahead and paid the court costs, fees, and even punishment in his stead. All out of my own pocket. Out of my own flesh.”
“I object!” Shouts the prosecutor. “That’s not fair!”
“Your honor,” your attorney says. “Check my record. I’ve never committed a crime. There are no fines against me in any way. I’m above reproach on this.” He nods at the bench. “Check the laws. See what the maximum penalty is for each of these laws my client committed and see if I haven’t met each and everyone of them.”
The judge scans the documents on the bench, and nods before turning to the prosecutor. “Objection overruled. The penalty has, indeed been paid. His client’s crimes have been taken upon by his attorney. The suspect’s crimes are forever transferred to the attorney himself. In effect, the suspect has a blank slate from this day forward. He is a new person without criminal record from this point forward.”
So, this parable of sorts took on a mind of its own. Wasn’t supposed to be a full story because I wanted some time to teach a little. But I think you get the drift.
In today’s passage, John tells the churches that everything he’d written up to chapter 2 verses 1 and 2 were to help believers not to sin. But being flawed humans who haven’t yet attained sanctification, we’re going to sin. Even though sin no longer has a slavehold over believers of Christ, it is still part of our fleshly nature.
John wants us to know that when those slip-ups do happen, it’s not the end of the world. While we should strive not to sin, it’s not the end of our relationship with God if we do. After all, in Christ we have the greatest attorney (‘advocate’) in history on speed dial who will always defend us against the Prosecutor (the biblical ‘accuser’ or ‘the Devil’). Always remember that, friends. He defended us from the Accuser on the cross and in the tomb and He is our eternal advocate in heaven to this day and beyond. That is definitely something worthy of praise, don’t you think?
Praise Him today for that.
Father God, thank you for the advocate you sent us. When we had no way of defending ourselves, you provided free legal counsel at your own expensive for each and every one of us. Help us, Lord, not to sin. But if we do, Lord, help us to remember that all is not lost. The Accuser hasn’t won in our lives. Help us to always look at the one who paid the price for our crimes and made us into new creations during those times we feel as though we let you down.