Trinity Lutheran>Other Links>Parables
After living what I felt was a "decent" life, my time on earth came to the
end. The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of
what I thought to be a court house. The doors opened and I was instructed to
come in and have a seat by the defense table. As I looked around I saw the
"prosecutor." He was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me.
He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen. I sat down and looked
to my left and there sat My Attorney, a kind and gentle looking man whose
appearance seemed so familiar to me, I felt I knew Him.
The corner door flew open and there appeared the Judge in full flowing robes. He
commanded an awesome presence as He moved across the room. I couldn't take my
eyes off of Him. As He took His seat behind the bench, He said, "Let us begin."
The prosecutor rose and said, "My name is Satan and I am here to show you why
this man belongs in hell." He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, things that
I stole, and in the past when I cheated others. Satan told of other horrible
perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke, the further down in
my seat I sank. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone, even
my own Attorney, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely forgotten
about.
As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally
upset at My Attorney who sat there silently not
offering any form of defense at all. I know I had been guilty of those things,
but I had done some good in my life - couldn't that at least equal out part of
the harm I'd done?
Satan finished with a fury and said, "This man belongs in hell, he is guilty of
all that I have charged and there is not a person
who can prove otherwise."
When it was His turn, My Attorney first asked if He might approach the bench.
The Judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned Him to
come forward. As He got up and started walking, I was able to see Him in His
full
splendor and majesty. I realized why He seemed so familiar; this was Jesus
representing me, my Lord and my Savior.
He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, "Hi, Dad," and then He
turned to address the court. "Satan was correct in saying that this man had
sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations. And, yes, the wage of sin is
death, and this man deserves to be punished."
Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with outstretched arms and
proclaimed, "However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal
life and he has accepted Me as his Savior, so he is Mine."
My Lord continued with, "His name is written in the book of life and no one can
snatch him from Me. Satan still does not
understand yet. This man is not to be given justice, but rather mercy."
As Jesus sat down, He quietly paused, looked at His Father and said, "There is
nothing else that needs to be done. I've done it
all."
The Judge lifted His mighty hand and slammed the gavel down. The following words
bellowed from His lips... "This man is free. The penalty for him has already
been paid in full. Case dismissed."
As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving, "I won't give up,
I will win the next one."
I asked Jesus as He gave me my instructions where to go next, "Have you ever
lost a case?"
Christ lovingly smiled and said, "Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has received the same verdict as you, "Paid In Full. Case Dismissed"