Trial of the Century

According to various opinion writers, the trial of the century has just concluded in New York, resulting in the conviction of a former President. But when I think of the most momentous trial of the century, I think of one specific trial in the last century that hardly made the newspapers or even caused a stir, but was in a way so significant that it bears our remembrance.

That trial took place in the 1930s, and ironically, also took place in New York.

It was Christmas Eve, and the Mayor of New York, Fiorello LaGuardia (as in the airport), decided to let one of the municipal judges go home for the holiday. So the mayor robed up, and took his place on the bench. He then signaled the bailiff to bring in the first case. As it turned out, the first case was of a woman charged with theft. The accuser was a baker who stood up, pointed his finger at the woman, and said, “She stole a loaf of  bread from me!” LaGuardia asked the woman, “Is this true?” The woman sobbed and said it was true, but added, “I took it to feed my child, because we had no food!”

LaGuardia sat there silent for a moment. Should he have compassion and let her go for such a minor offense, or enforce the law which said her act was a crime? He was a judge; how could he ignore the law? At that point, he must have regretted sending the judge home! As he pondered what to do, the courtroom became quiet as all eyes were on him. He had to act. . . .

Suddenly, he reached a decision. He lifted his gavel, and rapped it down on the desk with a loud bang. “Guilty!” he charged, “The fine is $5.00!” The whole court gasped. Five dollars then is worth $114 today. There was no way the woman could pay it; if she had that much money she could have bought hundreds of loaves of bread! The woman began to sob loudly, but then, she and the whole courtroom became silent again, as LaGuardia got down off the bench, and walked over to the bailiff. He took out his wallet, pulled out a five dollar bill, and paid the fine for the woman. Then he announced,”And I am fining everyone in this courtroom 50 cents for living in a city where a woman has to steal a loaf of bread to feed her child!” Then he collected the fines, and gave them to the woman. With a final wish of “Merry Christmas,” LaGuardia called for the next case.

Why do I consider this the trial of its century? Because it is a perfect example of the day we stand before our Judge to give an account of our lives. There is no doubt this will happen to us all, whether believers in Christ or not. We will all stand before God’s great white throne, and our lives will be revealed before the perfect Judge. No rationalizing our sins, or getting off “on a technicality.” No excuses or shifting blame. Every act and every word laid bare. Yikes!

Revelation 20:12 says, “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.”

Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:36, “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.“

And Paul wrote in Romans 14:12,”So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”

When that day comes, we will realize that the sentence – death and hell – is too much to pay. We will not have a plea in and of ourselves. All our good works won’t atone for the sentence we deserve. Like the woman, we have nothing and are at the mercy of the Judge.

But then, something miraculous happens. The Judge himself get down off the throne, and he reads from the book of life. He announces that our name is written in it. Then he shows the scars in his hands and feet, and proclaims for all to hear, “I paid this one’s debt.” Then he clothes us in his righteous robes (Isaiah 61:10),  gives us his inheritance (Colossians3:24), and welcomes us into heaven for all eternity (John 3:16).

But, what about our record of sin? Gone. This is good news!

Colossians 2:13-14 “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

Psalm 103:12 “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”

Hebrews 8:12 “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

Hebrews 10:17 “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

This is the  future for all  who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The Bible promises that those in Christ will not perish. The whole New Testament is built on that promise, secured by Christ’s own death and resurrection, but key promises are the following:

John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to [Martha], ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die'”

Mark 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.”

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Romans 12:9 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

In the 18th chapter of the Book of Genesis, Abraham had an encounter with God before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham bargained with God regarding how many righteous people in those cities it would take for God to spare them. (Obviously, not enough.) But one thing that Abraham said stuck with me, and informs my thinking about God as our Judge. Abraham said, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”

The Judge of all the earth shall indeed do what is right and just. He will punish the sins of unrepentant unbelievers, and forgive the sins of those who believe and trust in his Son, Jesus Christ. He will keep his promises, upholding equally his righteous laws and his merciful grace. We will never in eternity wonder whether any of God’s judgments were wrong. His judgments are perfect (Revelation 16:7), even when he gets off the throne to pay our sentence. For each of us, THAT will be OUR trial of the century!

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: Genesis 18:22-33; Revelation 16:1-10