The court room wasn’t quite as full as usual. No jury in this trial. The judge would determine the outcome. The defendant had also chosen to defend himself. So confident of his persuasive powers that he felt he could convince the judge of his innocence. The prosecutor was there also; his papers all in order. There were other spectators in the court room as well; even a reporter or two. The crimes against this particular defendant were well known by all.

All in attendance rose to their feet as the bailiff announced the judge’s arrival.

”Be seated.”, the judge proclaims.

As everyone takes their seat, the proceedings begin.

”Mr. Young, you’re charged with quite a litany of offenses here. Are you certain you want to defend yourself?”, the judge asks the defendant.

”Yes sir, your honor. I believe these charges are a travesty of justice and I am confident that I can explain away all of these accusations.”, the defendant responds.

”Very well. Mr. Prosecutor, please call your first witness.”, instructs the judge.

”Your honor, I call the defendant, Mr. Young, to the stand.”, responds the prosecutor.

As Mr. Young makes his way to the witness stand, he mutters to himself, ”Now we’ll get this all straightened out.”

”Mr. Young”, the prosecutor begins, ”this is quite a list of offenses. Just to recap for the judge, you’ve been charged with swindling people out of their money, lying to investigators, and using this money to live a lavish lifestyle. You’ve show utter contempt, even hatred towards the people you’ve stolen from; contempt for those who tried to find out the truth, and a singular focus on indulging in your own pleasure and personal satisfaction. Yet in light of all this, you’ve still pleaded innocent. How do you explain this?”

”All I have ever tried to do is make a living like anyone else.”, Mr. Young insists. ”You certainly wouldn’t deny someone the right to make a living, now would you?”

”Certainly not, Mr. Young”, responds the prosecutor, ”but these are staggering sums of money. How much does a person need?”

”I am simply trying to live the lifestyle that everyone else is.”, explains Mr. Young. ”I want a nice house. I need a nice car to drive. I like wearing nice clothes. I’ve worked hard and certainly deserve these things. Besides, these things are no more than anyone else wants for themselves. I see others enjoying these things and I know that I work just as hard as they do, if not harder. There’s no reason why I can’t have the same things that everyone else has.”

”But your desire for these things has driven you to behave terribly. Are these things so important to you that you would sacrifice your character to have them?”, asks the prosecutor.

”You bet these things are important to me. Do you expect me to live in a box and wear second-hand clothes? Why can’t I have these things? This is how people know I’m successful; that I’ve accomplished things in my life.”, insists Mr. Young.

”But you lied in order to get these things. Your lies made others suffer so that you could have all these things. Are they so important to you that you would lie to get them?”, asks the prosecutor.

”Hey, that’s the way the game is played. ‘Buyer beware’, right? There are people who lie a lot more than I ever have, and about bigger things too. Besides, I didn’t completely lie. They were more ‘white lies’ if that.”, says Mr. Young.

”What about when investigators questioned you about these things? You didn’t tell them the truth either.”, the prosecutor responds.

”These guys are harassing me about what I’m doing? I’m just trying to get by in this world. There are murderers and all sorts of other people they should be tracking down. I’m the least of their worries. Why is anyone bothering me about what I’m doing?”, Mr. Young says.

”Yes, there certainly are plenty of murderers and bad people out there,”, says the prosecutor, ”but what about the people that you’ve affected? What about the damage you’ve caused them?”

”Hey,”, insists Mr. Young, ”people need to watch out for themselves. If they’re not smart enough to know what they’re doing with their money, then that’s their fault. Its not my fault that most people are ignorant and uneducated. These people scrape together a few dollars out of their menial jobs and try to turn it into a million bucks. Then they’re shocked if they wind up losing money. They’re lucky there are guys like me around at all; otherwise they’d just spend their money on something stupid at WalMart.”

”You seem to hold people in utter contempt, Mr. Young.”, responds the prosecutor.

”The fact is, most people are stupid.”, responds Mr. Young. ”I know the type. My parents were the same way. They spent their whole lives working menial jobs. They never went to college. They never did any of the things you’re supposed to do to make lots of money. I had to grow up in a small apartment. We never had nice things. We never had nice clothes. I grew up feeling like a loser. Its like my parents didn’t even care that we didn’t have the things that other people had! Do you know how lousy that made me feel?”

”And how did it make your parents feel?”, asks the prosecutor.

”They didn’t seem to mind at all! Did they not even stop to think about what it was doing to me? About what people said about us? Its almost like they liked living that way! And I hated them for it. As soon as I had the chance to get out of that run-down apartment, I left as fast as I could and I never looked back. I put that part of my life behind me from that day forward.”, exclaimed Mr. Young.

”Indeed, it doesn’t seem that you looked back at all. Just a life of self-indulgence for you, right Mr. Young?”, the prosecutor responded.

”Yeah, that’s right. I deserved a better life.”, Mr. Young responded with contempt. ”But its not like I wasn’t chasing after the same things as everyone else. I wanted a nice place to live, I wanted hot women. I wanted to party and live life to the fullest. What on earth is wrong with that?! That’s what everyone wants.”, insisted Mr. Young.

”At any price?”, asks the prosecutor?

”What do you mean? Its like you think I’ve done some terrible thing! I just wanted to live like everyone else. ‘If it feels good, do it’, right? I wasn’t hurting anyone! I was just trying to get the most out of my life. That’s what we’re all trying to do.”, exclaimed Mr. Young.

”You mentioned the women. You’ve had a lot of girlfriends, haven’t you Mr. Young.”, asks the prosecutor.

”Yes I have. And I’m proud of it. I’ve given a lot of pleasure to a lot of women.”, Mr. Young says with a wry smile.

”You’ve given more than pleasure, though, haven’t you Mr. Young?”, the prosecutor insists. ”You’ve given some infections to women as well. You’ve given children to women also, haven’t you, Mr. Young?”

”Hey! Its not my responsibility to protect those women. Everyone has to take care of themselves! And no one every proved that I was the father of those kids either!”, exclaimed Mr. Young. ”Its all just part of life. We all have to deal with it. Those women are lucky anyone paid attention to them at all.”

”What about the other women, Mr. Young? The ones that didn’t catch anything from you. The ones that didn’t have your children. Just the ones that you used for your own pleasure. What about them?”, asks the prosecutor.

”Hey, they wanted it too. We were all just looking for a little fun. There’s nothing wrong with that.”, explains Mr. Young.

”But there’s more to physical relationships than just fun, isn’t there, Mr. Young? You’re dealing with people and their emotions. It may be fun for a moment but what about afterwards? What about the people who feel they were just used. What about them?”, asks the prosecutor.

”Not my problem.”, insists Mr. Young. ”We all knew what we were doing. Its not my fault if some people got carried away.”

”Well, Mr. Young. This is quite a litany.”, responds the prosecutor. ”You’ve put your money and material things above everything else in your life. You’ve seen the possessions that others have and have insisted on having them yourself. You’ve lied over and over again. You show complete hatred for other people, especially those you consider less than yourself. You seem to completely despise your parents who’s biggest offense seems to be that they didn’t provide more material things for you. And you seem to be a man completely driven by your lusts with no regard for how they affect others. In short, Mr. Young, you seem to be completely engulfed in your sins.”, says the prosecutor.

”Your honor, I have nothing further to ask this witness.”, proclaims the prosecutor.

”Mr. Young, ”, says the judge, ”This is quite a list of charges. We both know that this doesn’t even begin to cover all the things you’ve done in your life. And you haven’t given any viable reason for your actions. How do you explain yourself? What is your defense?”

”Your honor, I still don’t understand what the big deal is. I’ve lived my life like anyone else. Its not like I’m some rich fat-cat. I don’t live in a mansion or drive a Rolls Royce. I make $80,000 a year and I just try to have the good things in life. I mean, look at the world around us. These are the things that everyone wants. These are the things that we’re supposed to have in our lives. This is what makes people happy.”, insists Mr. Young.

”Who says these are the things that make people happy?”, asks the judge. ”Were your parents happy, Mr. Young?”

”Yes, they were happy. And that shows how ignorant they were! How could they be happy living that way?! Where were their priorities?!”, Mr. Young shouts back at the judge.

”Well, Mr. Young, some people find happiness in other things. Some people find happiness in living the way they’re supposed to. They find happiness in things other than the things of this world.”, explains the judge. ”I know your parents. They live not far from me. They trust in things that this world can’t provide.”

Mr. Young, shocked by the revelation that the judge knows his parents responds, ”You know my parents? But how?!”

”I’ve known them for a long time. They’ve been close to me all their lives.”, explains the judge. ”But you, Mr. Young, have not. These laws you’ve broken must be punished. Your defense, that everyone behaves this way is insufficient. It may be true that people don’t keep my laws but some people are at least sorry for their crimes and want to stop breaking them. They seek help to stop, but you, Mr. Young, you seem to relish the crimes you’ve committed. You seem to have no remorse whatsoever!”

”You’ve got it wrong, your honor.”, insists Mr. Young. ”You’ve missed all the good things I’ve done. I’ve helped people. I’ve given money to charity.”

”You’ve done these things to glorify yourself and bring attention to yourself. Besides, do you think these things can make up for a lifetime of wrongdoing?”, says the judge.

”Your honor, its not like I’ve killed anyone! There are people a lot worse than me out there!”, exclaims Mr. Young.

”Yes,”, says the judge, ”and they will be dealt with as well. All must pay for their crimes!”

”Please your honor!”, cries Mr. Young. ”Please have mercy on me. Give me another chance. I promise I’ll change. I’ll stop doing those things. I know you’re a fare judge. Be lenient and compassionate. I know how much you care about people. Please don’t condemn me!”

”Will this work?”, one of the reporters in the court room thinks to himself. ”I have heard that this is a fare and merciful judge. Maybe this guy will get off.”

”Mr. Young,”, says the judge, ”I am a fare judge, and because I’m fare and just, I must make sure that someone pays for these crimes. Justice must be served. Besides, do you expect me to believe that you will stop your materialistic ways? Am I to believe that you will stop lusting after women? Will you stop hating and lying?”

”Sure I will.”, insists Mr. Young. ”I mean, I still need to make a living. And I sure don’t want to live in a hovel. But I’ll only get with women who really want it as much as I do. I’ll explain to them that its a no-strings kind of deal. That way their feelings won’t be hurt. And I won’t tell any big lies any more. And I’ll try to be nicer to people as long as they’re nice to me.”

”Mr. Young!”, shouts the judge. ”You have no remorse whatsoever! You simply do not want to suffer the consequences of your crimes! You have no desire at all to turn away from these things that you do! You still love your sins more than you love God!”

The gravity of his situation begins to weigh on Mr. Young. In a trembling voice he asks, ”But what happens now?”

”You will suffer your punishment. You will be separated from me forever. You will spend eternity with the other workers of iniquity. Your punishment will be eternal!”, exclaims the judge.

”Please judge. Have mercy on me!”, begs Mr. Young. ”Please give me another chance!”

”You’ve had a whole lifetime of chances.”, explains the judge. ”You had your whole life to turn away from your sins and ask for forgiveness. But instead you indulged yourself in idolatry. You put material things ahead of me. You lied. You dishonored your parents. You stole. You committed adultery. You coveted things that belonged to others. And with your hatred you committed murder in your heart.”

Finally, with the realization of his sins, Mr. Young understood the true weight of the things that he had done. He understood the justness of his punishment.

With a faint and woeful voice, Mr. Young asks, ”My parents. Where are they? Will I see them?”

”No!”, the judge exclaims. ”They are with me and will be with me forever.”

”How?”, Mr. Young asks with a voice of resignation.

”They believed in the only name under heaven by which they must be saved.”, explains the judge. ”They broke the law as well but they believed in the payment my Son made for their sins. They asked for help to turn away from their sins; not to avoid the consequences, not to earn their release, but because they understood the terrible price that my Son, Jesus, paid to rescue them from the punishment that you now face. They did not want to go on breaking my laws once they knew all that had been done to save them.”

With this, Mr. Young was dragged from the court room. Away forever to pay the price for his crimes. Justice was served. And there was weeping and gnashing of teeth.