The big news this week has been the Congressional hearings in which Special Counsel Robert Mueller was grilled by members of Congress regarding his findings in his recent investigation into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election. I’m going to leave opinions on the content of those hearings to others; but I wondered as I heard the grilling by the two opposing parties, what it would be like to have to face that myself. Then I had an even better thought: what if you had to face such a hearing?
Only, in your case, the hearing is not before the US Congress, but before a special committee formed to judge you and decide your eternal fate. Similar to this week’s hearings, there will be two groups of committee members: one side wants to throw the book at you, while the other wants to let you off easy. But just to avoid any connections to our political system, I’m going to call the two parties the Apples and the Oranges*. The two don’t get along, but that’s just what we would expect, because we’ve always been told, “Don’t mix apples and oranges.”
So, how would it go? Maybe, something like this:
You enter a room set up almost like a courtroom. There is a long, semi-circular table facing you, behind which are seated the committee members. In front and facing them sits a small table with two chairs. You make your way forward to the table, when the committee chairman, who is the leader of the Apples, scowls at you and barks a gruff command: “Sit down!”
You take your seat in one of the chairs, and the committee chairman continues, “Frankly, this is a waste of time: we all know you’re guilty, but we have to go through the motions. So let’s begin, shall we, and get this over with . . .” You gulp hard and start to dread what lies ahead.
“Not so fast!” comes a shout from the rear of the hearing room, and a man walks forward, stopping right by your table. “Esteemed committee members,” he says, “I am here to represent the accused as Attorney, Advocate, and Counselor.” The stranger takes a seat beside you. The committee chair groans. “And what credentials do you have to be this person’s Counselor” The man, your self-appointed Counselor, opens up a briefcase and pulls out a thick stack of papers, and lays them on the desk. “Here are my credentials,” he answers, “sixty-six books full. You can read them if you like . . .”
The Apple leader shakes his head and says, “No, we only have about 1400 words to go in this blog, so let’s just get this over with.” Now the grilling begins.
One Apple member asks you, “Do you remember that time when you were a kid and you sassed your mom and made her cry?” You search your memories and the incident comes back to you. You were ashamed of what you said, and you never apologized to her. But before you can answer, one of the Oranges butts in and says, “Look, what do you expect when a kid – just a kid! – gets scolded for spilling a little milk and eating some pie that mom made for a bake sale? It’s perfectly understandable!”
You like the Orange member’s reasoning, and are about to affirm it when your Counselor leans over, covers the mic, and whispers to you: “Don’t worry; I got this. Just tell the truth.” You aren’t so sure, but your Counselor seems absolutely sure, so in spite of your fears, you hear yourself reply, “Yes, I did sass my mom and I am ashamed of it.” The Apple team smile at each other, while the Oranges frown.
The second question follows almost immediately”: “And do you remember that time you were at the store and saw a candy bar you wanted, but didn’t have enough money to buy it? So you slipped it into your pocket when no one was looking and stole it!” Once again an Orange jumped in. “Are you serious? It was just a candy bar that cost maybe 50 cents! [substitute a higher or lower price based on how old you are]. The store had theft insurance, so they weren’t really out anything!”
Again, you like the Orange’s argument. That’s exactly what you had thought back then, when you took it. You really wanted it, and no one would miss it. So you are about to defend yourself when your Attorney once again reaches over and whispers, “Just admit it. I’ve got your back.” Again, you speak into the mic, “Yes. I’m guilty as charged.” This time the Oranges shake their heads, while the Apples grin widely and wink to each other. This is not going well for you.
A third question comes to you from the Apples: “And what about the time you cheated on that final exam, and blamed another student by slipping your answer key into her desk? You cheated and discredited another student. That was just wrong!” Before you can answer, the Orange side speaks up. “Really? Who wouldn’t try to gain some advantage in that situation? The whole grade depended on that final, and the grade determined whether our defendant here would be able to get into a good college! And as for the other student? She was always the top grade getter; she deserved to be knocked down a peg or two.”
You look at your Counselor; please let me defend what I did; please? But he gives you a look that cuts through your excuse, so you meekly admit, “Yes, I did that. And the other student flunked when the teacher found the key.” Now the Apples were high-fiving each other and the Oranges were hanging their heads in defeat. “How can we help you,” one cries, “when you don’t take the lifelines we keep throwing you?!” But the Advocate whispers to you again, “Just keep telling the truth. I have your back all the way.”
And so the questioning – or should I say, interrogation – continues, and it is not a pleasant day for you. As the charges pile up (how did these guys find out about all these things?) you begin to sweat profusely, maybe in anticipation of your eternal destiny. No charge is omitted, no fact forgotten, no stone unturned. One after another, like the blows from a jackhammer, your life is laid bare for all to see. The Oranges try to explain away your moral failures, but their reasons melt like snow under the heat of the charges.
You hear about that time you swore using God’s name, the time you used Christ’s name in a joke, the time you wished someone would get sick and die, the time you broke your wedding vows – or wanted to, cut corners on your taxes, visited some places that were inappropriate, and so on, and so on. The charges and the evidence are so overwhelming that the Oranges finally give up and start clipping and filing their nails. One falls asleep. But the Apples are radiant with their certain victory; you are going down, and there is nothing you can do about it.
You hang your head in despair as well, as the chair of the committee stands and with a snide grin on his face, delivers the committee’s judgment – or at least, starts to: “We have considered all the charges and affirm they are true. Shame on you! We recommend an eternity in hell with no chance of parole. May God have mercy on your soul!”
Your Counselor jumps to his feet, and shouts in a loud, commanding voice: “God has had mercy on the defendant’s soul. Every one of those charges has been forgiven, and the penalty you would inflict has already been paid . . . by me!” At that the Attorney holds out his hands and you see massive, deep scars on each of them. He reaches down and lifts up the papers from the desk and says to the committee, “You should have read these books before you passed judgment. If you had, you would have known that this poor person, a guilty sinner to be sure, trusted in me for forgiveness and therefore belongs to my Father. This sinner is clothed in my righteousness and no longer faces condemnation. This sinner is also a saint by faith; would you condemn a saint to hell?”
At this the Apple chairman squirms and looks around for help, but his team is all looking down. “No,” he mutters weakly.
Your Advocate continues. “Remember that I came to call not the righteous but the sinner to repentance. I came to seek and to save the lost – which this person, and all of you, by the way – certainly is. And yet by faith, any sinner can be saved. As far as the East is from the West, so far have I removed this person’s sins. I will remember those sins no more. Therefore I declare this saint and sinner to be free, and when I set you free, you are free indeed!”
“And as for the committee, all of you need to examine your own lives. To the Apples I say, ‘Judge not, lest you be judged,’ and ‘Let the one who is without guilt cast the first stone.’ And as for you Oranges, ‘Woe to him who calls evil good and good evil.’ Prepare yourselves, admit your own guilt, and come to me for the same forgiveness I have given to this person before you. For one day, you too will all sit there; pray that I am your Advocate when that day comes!”
A wave of relief, joy, and love sweep over you. The hearing has ended, and you enter into the joy of the Lord which he has prepared for you since before the world began. And that deserves an Amen!
And now, may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen.
Read: Psalm 103:12, Hebrews 8:12, Luke 19:10, Matthew 9:13, John 8:7, Isaiah 53:5
* Not to be confused with current political parties or with “Apple and Android” a topic clearly not addressed here.