From a Florida prison cell
in June 1962, Clarence Earl Gideon wrote a note asking the United States
Supreme Court to review his conviction for a crime he said he didn’t commit—stealing
$50 worth of beer from a pool hall. He added that he didn’t have the means to
hire a lawyer.
One year later, in the
historic case of Gideon v. Wainright,
the Supreme Court ruled that people who cannot afford the cost of their own
defense must be given a public defender—an advocate—provided by the State. With
this decision, and with the help of a court-appointed lawyer, Clarence Gideon’s
case was retried and he was acquitted of felony theft.[1]
But what if we are not
innocent? According to the apostle Paul, we are all guilty (Rom. 3:23). But the
court of heaven provides an Advocate who, at God’s expense, offers to defend
and care for our soul, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that
ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).
Jesus is our divine
defense attorney who comes to us offering a freedom that even prison inmates
have described as better than anything they’ve experienced on the outside. It
is freedom from sin and shame. Whether suffering for wrongs done by us or to
us, we all can be represented by Jesus. By the highest authority He responds to
every request for mercy, forgiveness, and comfort. Jesus, our Advocate, can
turn a prison of lost hope, fear, or regret into the place of His presence.
Bible commentator, John
Phillips says it like this: “When Satan comes before God, he comes as “the
accuser of the brethren” (Rev. 12:10).
This is one instance in which he does not come to tell lies about us,
even though he is the Father of all lies…Sad to say he comes to tell the truth
about us. But, he gets nowhere. The Accuser is met by the Advocate and all He
has to do is raise His pierced hands and Satan is silenced.”[2]
There is one critical
difference in this courtroom from all others—the one holding the gavel is your Heavenly
Father, the defense attorney bears scars from paying your fine and the defendant
(that’s you) happens to be loved unconditionally by both. Are you beginning to
see the picture here? The courtroom is stacked in your favor. If God be for us, who shall be against us?
-DM
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