I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. – 1 Corinthians 4:3-4

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 4): 1 Corinthians 4

On November 24, 2014, the Grand Jury in Ferguson, Missouri decided not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black man suspected of a minor theft. The explanation for the reason not to indict was based, at least in some respects, because the evidence of some of the eyewitnesses did not measure up with other eyewitness statements or even with the physical evidence. The next question asked of St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch was whether or not those witnesses who apparently gave incorrect eyewitness testimony would be charged with perjury. McCulloch responded with the comment that he had no doubt that those who testified incorrectly believed what it was that they were saying, even though circumstances seemed to tell a story that was sometimes exactly the opposite of what the witnesses said that they saw.

While that may seem impossible, it is a phenomenon of which scientists are well aware. We are the grand deceivers, and often the object of our deception is ourselves. Every one of us probably believes some things that are simply not true about ourselves. We think we know, but we don’t, even though we are certain of what it is that we are saying. It is this reality that makes eyewitness testimony extremely unreliable – which is something that it is hard to get our heads around.

However, it seems that it was something that Paul understood. Paul recognized that there were several ways that he could be judged. And the lowest form of that judgement was in the court of public opinion or in the human courts. A human court weighs the evidence and attempts to see the events through the eyes of the collected facts and what people believe that they saw. Some do a better job of evaluating the facts than others, and some made their decisions more on an emotional basis, but none can be sure that their judgments are correct. There is no mob or judge or jury on the planet that knows absolutely that they are right. And even a confession isn’t absolute proof. Because the next level of judgment is based on the way that we see ourselves. But even that is not accurate. Several psychological disorders are based on our inability to perceive ourselves correctly, and perceiving our actions is no different. When we believe what we have done violates our own moral standard, our conscience moves against us, but even that is suspect. We deceive ourselves about both the meaning of our actions and our own moral understanding. The only absolute judgment belongs to God. And Paul says that it is only his judgment that really matters.

So Paul says he really doesn’t care what a human courts says about him, he knows that his own conscious is clear, but Paul is smart enough to understand that even with a clear conscience he still might not be innocent. And since this is true, his only chance is to stand in the center of the grace of God, the only objective judge.

I have no idea if the Grand Jury’s judgment in Missouri is right, and there are those on both sides of the issue that are sure about their own judgment on the case  - that they are the ones who are right. On the other hand, no matter what it is that a human court says, Darren Wilson is going to have to live with his actions. But we believe that one day he will stand before the only one who truly knows what happened on that dark day. And for everyone involved, that will be the real Day of Judgment.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 5