I AM NOT GUILTY!

 


I was reading a story in the book, “Looking for the One: Stories of Seeing the Lord, Lonely, and Broken through the Eyes of Jesus,”  about a man who was serving time in prison who was innocent. He had lost everything. He had lost his wife, his business, and his reputation. I have heard a lot of stories from people who thought they were innocent but were serving time. The story of this man, Charlie, was pretty powerful. He was so depressed and withdrawn during his time of incarceration that he was near suicide. Charlie maintained correspondence with a man from the “outside” who was the chaplain at the weekly chapel services in the prison. Charlie wrote letters to this man of God about life in the prison. At the lowest point in Charlie’s life he finally turned his innocence over to Jesus. In his words, he let Jesus defend him and he completely turned his circumstances over to him. The next letter Charlie wrote to the chaplain was unbelievable. New evidence had come forward in Charlie’s case. His accuser, the witness that put him in prison, was found to have done this to multiple people. Charlie was set free. He first was guilty and condemned. Now he was proved innocent and set free.

Justice was served because Jesus took over the defense.

As I was reading about Jesus’ arrest, trial, and condemnation in John chapters 18 and 19, I couldn’t help but think of the story of the woman caught in the act of adultery in John 8.

“Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. ‘Teacher,’ they said to Jesus, ‘this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?’” (John 8:1-4)

It is clear, an open and shut case, this woman was guilty. She was caught in the act. There was no way out. She should have faced stoning. That was the law. Jesus admitted that yes that was the punishment, But he challenged the onlookers who had never sinned to throw the first stone. His question immediately stopped them. 

“Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, ‘Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one condemn you?’ ‘No, Lord,’ she said. And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I, Go and sin no more.’”(John 8:10-11)

SHE WAS GUILTY and yet she was set free. Jesus was INNOCENT and he was condemned to die. That just doesn’t make sense. 

It makes about as much sense as the God of creation coming down to earth as a baby, living a sinless life, then sacrificing himself so that we might live. But, that is exactly what happened.

Charlie got his justice. He deserved justice. We don’t. We are guilty. We deserve the prison sentence, but Jesus turned our life upside down and came to die in our place, to take our punishment, our prison sentence, so that we could go free. 

I Praise God every day that Jesus freed me from sure death in eternity. I AM guilty of sin and yet through the eyes of Jesus, and those are the only eyes that matter, I AM NOT GUILTY!


Comments