Runaway Jury - A True Story

Unbelievable... every other jurist just voted "not guilty".  The physical evidence was overwhelming!  The testimony of the police officers was credible!  A security camera had clearly captured the criminal committing the crime!  Yet 11 of my fellow jurists voted "not guilty".  Unbelievable... surreal... that 11 reasonable people have chosen to ignore the obvious truth.

Just two hours ago, the vote was 10 guilty to 2 not guilty.  In those two hours, one vocal juror has monopolized the discussion, suggesting that the accused has been framed.  Sort of a one-juror filibuster, holding the floor for two long hours, droning on about a rather wild and unplausible conspiracy theory until my ears are weary of the sound of her voice.

But it's worked.  As I look around the table at all their faces, I can see that glazed-over, just-get-me-out-of here look.  The filibuster has worn everyone down.  My number one desire at the moment is to have some peace and quiet, and from the looks of the others, they feel the very same way. 

• Eleven people want to escape from the sound of her voice. 
• Eleven people want to go home. 
• Eleven people want off this stupid jury.
• Eleven people are ready to relax.
• Eleven people have had enough.

 And now that the vote has been announced, there's something else in their faces.  Frustration...

• One stinking juror is holding out.
• One stinking juror is being difficult.
• One stinking juror is not cooperating.
• One stinking juror is keeping everyone else from getting out of here and going home.
• One stinking juror is prolonging everyone else's misery.

Unfortunately, that would be me.  Our frustrated, weary foreman asks who voted "guilty".  I raised my hand.

• Eleven inaudible "ughs".
• Eleven people lean in toward me, elbows on the table.
• Eleven sets of serious eyes bore through me. 
• Eleven adamant faces say "this better be good".

 A loud outburst from our filibustering juror, which is surprisingly cut off by the foreman. "We've heard from you" he says.  "Now we want to hear why she's still voting guilty."

"Keep it short and sweet" my instinct whispers to me.  "They're fried."

So I said, "I believe the police officers are telling the truth, and I believe the evidence is real.  That's all."

Silence.  Ahhhh.  Wonderful, refreshing silence.  To be able to hear yourself THINK again.

And they did just exactly that.  They THOUGHT.  They thought about the evidence.  They thought about the testimony of the police officers.  They put their minds in gear and THOUGHT.

One by one, they broke that precious silence to say they wanted to change their vote.  Even the filibustering juror!  It was unanimous.  A guilty verdict.  Rendered by a thinking jury.

That day, I saw a vivid picture of how easily a group can be swayed by an emotional appeal.  It was so easy for the jurists to go along with a flawed "conspiracy theory."  To be swept away by a long emotional tirade.  To stop thinking.  To throw out the obvious truth.

If the filibustering juror had prevailed, the accused would have been set free to commit more crimes.  Three honorable, truthful policemen would've been greatly discouraged.  An overworked, underpaid prosecuting attorney who so thoroughly presented an airtight case would have been wrongly defeated.  Truth would have been defeated.  The people of truth would have been left twisting in the wind... defeated.

The jury would have been party to a miscarriage of justice.  Twelve decent, good-willed people would have been derelict in their duty to weigh the evidence and testimony and render a reasonable verdict.

We are bombarded with so many messages, some of which are simply not true.  We get weary.  We get tired of listening.  We get tired to refuting.  We get tired of thinking.  Sometimes we mentally check out.   We become silent.  And in our silence, the false message and the ever-present, ever-vocal false messengers often carry the day without opposition.  How sad.

Yes, silence is golden.  There is a time for silence.  But there is a time to speak.  To remind people of the truth.  Even when they don't seem like they would want to hear it...

Sloth is un-American

Here in America, sloth is considered one of the worst character defects. Laziness is just un-American.  For over 200 years, each generation of Americans has taught the next that this nation was built through personal industry, the work ethic, the fundamental belief that any man who will roll up his sleeves may prosper.  For that reason, we truly believe (even if we don't say it out loud) that poverty in America is not the result of oppression, but of sloth.  This engrained Americana esteem of good, honest, hard work sprung from the Puritan work ethic, which is rooted in the Bible.

The desire of the slothful killeth him, for his hands refuse to labor. He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not. Prov 21:25-26

"The desire of the slothful killeth him..."
Sloth leads to no effort, therefore to no fruit. The slothful man thinks to live by wishing, not by working. His sloth is not caused by lack of physical power or activity; in fact, he spends the whole of his time and energy in busy idleness. But for useful labor, he has no heart.

"He coveteth greedily all the day long..."
He becomes a prey for covetousness, envying those whose industrious diligence enables them to give, and spare not. His idle days are filled with coveting rather than labor. Day after day, he desires the fruit of industry, but not enough to exert himself. His sloth is one of many forms of moral selfishness.

Americans tend to think of sloth as sort of... un-American...

We must value the Puritan work ethic because we keep passing it down to our children.  We encourage our children to train hard to be physically fit.  We encourage our children to study hard to be intellectually fit.  We encourage our children to work hard to be financially fit.  We even encourage our children to play hard to be recreationally fit. 

But do we encourage them to diligently seek the Lord to be spiritually fit?  Sounds silly, doesn't it?  How common is it to overhear parents in the breakroom (or even in the church house) comparing notes about how they coax their children to study their Bible, or pray, or love God, or surrender their lives to the Lord?  If parents were diligently seeking the Lord to be spiritually fit, wouldn't the spiritual fitness of their children be a greater priority?  Wouldn't it crop up in conversation at least as much as SAT scores?  Ouch.
Perhaps we are spiritual sloths... desiring the fruit of the spiritually diligent, but unwilling to roll up our sleeves and labor.  Perhaps we exert too much of our energy and passion in the physical realm to the neglect of the spiritual realm.

But without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.  Hebrews 11:6

Is sloth un-Christian?
Simply being a member of a gym does not produce physical fitness.  Simply showing up at the gym every day doesn't promote physical fitness.  Physical fitness comes from regularly and consistently exerting yourself to cooperate with the equipment in the gym as it was designed to be used.

Likewise, simply being a member of a church or showing up for church regularly doesn't promote spiritual fitness.  You can go to church every time the doors are open and not be spiritually fit.  Sorry.  Spiritual fitness comes from regularly and consistently exerting yourself to cooperate with God's equipment as it was designed to be used.  Spiritual growth occurs when we cooperate with the Holy Spirit of God as he uses the Word of God to transform us into the image of God.

Whoever DESIRES only and REFUSES TO LABOR to be a growing Christian daily, gives doubtful evidence whether he is a Christian at all.

Is spiritual fitness profitable for the individual?
When an individual works out at the gym consistently, their physical fitness (and their endorphin-triggered buzz) stands out.  When an individual works out spiritually for a year, their spiritual fitness (and their joy-triggered buzz) stands out.  While physical fitness profits us in our brief time in this world, spiritual fintess profits us in both this life and in the life to come through all eternity.

Exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. I Timothy 4:7-8

Is spiritual fitness profitable for the nation?
America's combined work ethic piles up a staggering gross national product in one year's time. Makes me wonder what kind of abundance a combined spiritual diligence would pile up in a year's time. I wonder how far the divorce rate would plunge... the suicide rate... drunk driving deaths... crime rates... tylenol sales... domestic violence... child abuse... depression. See, for all the material abundance that our work ethic produces, it sure hasn't solved or even reduced our social problems. In fact, the richer we become as a nation, the worse our social problems seem to become.
So I challenge you, reader, to commit yourself to a one-year spiritual fitness training program. Have a daily spiritual workout with God's equipment. See what a year of spiritual growth will do for you, and for your nation.