The Trial, part 7-8

The angle came to the front of the room and spoke to David, "Does the defense wish to cross examine the witness?"

David wiped his tears form his eyes and stood up. "Yes," he replied.

"What for?" asked the devil, "you're as guilty as sin, why do we need to hear more?"

"Because I've a point to make," said David.

The devil was silent.

"Now," said David, "I know that I'm sinful and that I most certainly deserve hell, and I know that the devil's the worst of all and that he's already going to hell, but what about the good things?"

"What?" asked the devil.

"For example," said David, "Say there's this guy in India who goes around his entire life only doing good, feeding the hungry and giving to the poor and needy; a man who hates war and loves peace, and does everything right in his life, only that he's never heard of God before, and-"

The devil interrupted lazily, "Then he's going with me."

"Why," asked David, "Doesn't the good he's done count for anything?"

The devil looked at David in the eye and asked, "I don't suppose you've ever heard the phrase, 'a bit of yeast leavens the whole bread'?

David shook his head no.

The Devil then turned to the angle and said, "Hey sparkles, I'm thirsty, can you get me a glass of water?"

The angel didn't move.

"Please," sighed the devil.

The angel reached behind the judges stand and brought the devil a glass of water. The devil snatched the water away with impatience and turned to David.

"Now," he began, "Lets pretend that this glass of water is a soul, perfect and pure. But, If you add just a bit of sin, watch what happens."

The devil then stuck his finger in the glass, just enough so his grotesque fingernail tipped the surface of the water. As David watched, something like black food coloring began to pervade the clear liquid, and soon it had turned the entire cup of water to an inky dark color.

"All it takes is a bit of sin, and the entire cup of good, clean works is worth nothing."

"But," said David, thinking he had the devil now, "Depending on how much sin is put in, some cups will be darker than others."

The devil looked at David and smiled. "Let me ask you something. If God doesn't like dirty water, does that even matter?" and with that, he downed the cup of black water and cast the cup upon the floor, breaking it into a million pieces. The angel appeared on the scene with a broom and dustpan and swept up the broken glass.

An idea occured to David.

"Well," he said, desperate, "Well then I need to get out of here! I need to warn my families and friends before they die so that they can get ready!"

"You can't get out of here," said the devil, "and even if you could, they still wouldn't believe you. They have Gods own word every day, and even then they don't listen . There's nothing else that would work."

"How can you know that," shouted David, "If there was some sign that was sent to them, something like a ghost, or-"

"A blast of wind?" asked the devil politely.

"Ya," said David, "A blast of wind at just the right time would..."

The devil grined at David's fading smile and said, "Sorry David, somehow I don't think a ruddy blast of wind would be enough to make the members of the Sullivan family want to refine there lives. After all, who knows Hollywood better than they do?"

That was it. David's last option had failed. He was doomed.

"Have I made your point yet?" asked the Devil.

"Okay. I rest my case as well," and he returned to his seat.

The angel, after throwing away the broken shards, returned to the front of the court and addressed the devil, "Will the Prosecutor please present it's final statements."

"No," said the devil, "I won't even wast a breath more on this pathetic excuse for a man. I'll pass."

David hung his head.

"Will the defense please present its final statements."

David stood up and looked at the jury, and then at the place in the judges stand where God was supposedly sitting, and said, "I just don't understand it. You were supposed to be a God who loved us, but now I'm going to hell. Not once did you step in to defend me against this beast."

"Oh, please," said the devil, "you're too kind."

David continued, "I guess, I just don't see how anyone would be able to get past this system if you demand perfection. It doesn't seem fair."

And with that, David returned to his seat.

The angle turned to the Jury, nodded his head, and then turned back to the devil and David, and said in a loud clear voice, "David Mercer Sullivan, the jury of God's judgement finds you guilty of leading a sinful life, and condemns you to an eternity in hell. Court adjourned."

Then David looked up, and saw with amazement the gavel on the Judges stand raise itself into the air, poised and ready to fall.

David waited.

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"I Object!"

David looked turned around, and to his amazement found that another man had just entered the court, and was making his way to the judges stand. He was dressed like any common american, and his skin was a dark tan.

The devil was outraged. He turned to face the judges stand, and, putting up his hand up in-front of his eyes, as if to block out the sun, he said, "Your honor, who is this man? What is he doing interrupting our court session, and how did he get here if there's no..."

The devil fell silent as if being spoken to, and then replied with a quiet, "Oh," and dropped his gaze.

His eyes fell upon David and the devil spat, "Don't get your hopes up. You know the law: You've sinned, and there's got to be a punishment for it. There's no way you're getting out of it. You're mine!"

David broke eye contact with the devil, and saw that the man was talking to the angel and God, and he couldn't help but wonder what in the world was going on, when finally the angel turned from the group of three and addressed the court.

"The punishment of David Mercer Sullivan is being permanently transfered."

"WHAT!" screamed the devil, "THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE! HIS BLOOD IS MINE, I OWN HIM!" then the devil stopped screaming and realized something.

"You can't destroy sin," he said aloud, "It must be paid for with hell. That means that for now you can only move it. Where are you moving it?"

The angel spoke, "The punishment is being permanently transfered to his benefactor."

"My benefactor?" asked David, "I don't understand, someone else is being punished for my sin? Who? How?

The devil answered with a smile, "Sin can only be taken by someone innocent, who has never sinned. I think I know who."

"Who," asked David, and then he looked up. The gate to his defense box popped open and the man with the tan skin was standing in front of it, motioning him to step out.

"You're free, David Sullivan," he said with a sad smile.

David looked at the man. "You? Your the man who hasn't sinned? Who are you? Why are you doing this? I don't deserve this, and if you've managed to never sin, then you certainly don't want to take my punishment from me only to suffer it yourself. What's wrong with you?"

"You're right," said the man, "The system demands perfection, and no one is perfect, so they must be made perfect."

''How?" asked David as the angel led him out of the defendant's box.

"With a sacrifice," said the man, and the door clicked shut, trapping him inside.

"Ho ho!" cried the devil, "That was a stupid move if I've ever seen one! Have the king sacrifice himself just so a drunken traitor can live! That's ridiculous! What a stupid move!

"The king?" asked David, confused, "What's happening? Who is this guy? Why is he taking my punishment of hell?"

The man turned to David, and with a sad smile, said, "God does love you, David, you were wrong when it comes to that point. God does love you, and I am proof of it."

"You?" asked David as the angel led him down the court room hall, "Who are you?"

"Don't you get it yet?" asked the devil, "This man's name is Jesus, and he is God's only son."

Then David understood.

"No!" he cried, and as he turned a bright light from the judges stand suddenly hit his eyes, and he yelped in terror and held up his hand to block it.

"Oh look," said the devil, "he can see him now."

The angel spoke to Jesus, "Jesus of Nazareth, you are being charged for leading a sinful life. How do you plead?"

"Guilty," he answered.

"Not for my sake! I'm not worth it! Save your son!" cried David, as the angel led David farther from the scene. "I'm not worth it! I'm not worth it!"

The angel leading David stopped and turned to David, and then did something very odd. He smiled.

"David Mercer Sullivan, I hope someday you will come to understand the immenseness of this second chance you've been given."

"What are you smiling for, Goldylocks?" cracked the devil, "You lose, I got God's only son in a chock hold, and he's not even fighting!"

Slowly the light comming from the judges stand took up his entire vision, and still David cried, "I'm sorry, I'm worthless, I'm not worth your sons life!"

"Hey, buddy, you okay?" asked a voice.

David opened his eyes and looked at the face blurred by his tears.

It was a man, half shaven, and overweight.

"You okay? I hit ya pretty hard, I don't know what happened, all of a sudden the brakes on the truck wouldn't work."

Then, it all clicked. A second chance. This man was a truck driver.

"I already called 9-1-1, and they said they'd be here as fast as they could."

Then, to the complete surprise of the truck driver, David jumped up and started running.

"Hey, I don't think you should be doing that!" shouted the truck driver, but David did not hear. He was to busy thinking about his second chance.

He arrived home and found that church must have ended, for as he ran up into the yard, his wife, Juliet, came stomping out to him.

She said, "If I ever find out that you decide to skip church-"

She stopped her lesson short, for upon seeing her, David had run up to her and embraced her, tears comming out of his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Juliet, please don't leave me!"

"Okay..." said Juliet, "Maybe we better go in and have a little talk."

They did, and after David related the entire story to her, even his sins, she looked at him as well with tears in her eyes and reassured him that she was not cheating on him, and that the devil was lying.

"You mean," said David, "That the baby's really ours?"

"Yes. The bible says it very well, satan is the father of lies."

At this Davids face darkened, and Juliet asked, "What's wrong?"

"You don't understand," said David, "After what I've done, there's no way God will ever look at me with love."

"David," said Juliet, "Why do you think God decided to send his son to take your place in the first place?"

David answered, shaking his head, "I don't know."

"Because he loves you."

"But It's my fault that God's son is rotting in hell right now. How could God love me when he knows that?"

Juliet shook her head and took out her bible and opened it to the end of Matthew.
"David, do you really think God would send his son just for you? He sent him for the entire world, and he knew that he wouldn't stay there."

"He didn't stay there?" asked David, dumbfounded.

"No," said Juliet laughing, "Only for three days! Not even Death itself could contain him!"

It took a while for this to sink in, but when it did, David smiled. "You mean, he's not in hell?"

"No! He's in heaven, and as long as you believe that he took your place, that's where you'll be too."

"Really?!"

"Really!"

"Ha!" said David, "I would have liked to see the face on the satan when he found out he lost! I bet he nearly exploded!"

David quit his job as construction worker and became a missionary, and he still shares God's message of forgiveness with people who live halfway lives. Together with his wife and four kids, he lives in a small cabin in the mountains of Washington.

And together with his wife and God, they make a three-fold cord that will never break.
Let the world know God's love!