Court was in session. Judge
Elohim was presiding.
The evidence had been
presented. Both sides had had their chance to plead their case before the
Judge.
The accused, a fierce looking
giant of a man, looked as guilty as he really was. His heavily tattooed body
gave him the look of a seasoned drug dealer and user. His face was contorted in
a permanent scowl and his nose was turned up like he always smelt something
foul in the air. The flimsy vest he wore couldn’t hide his muscled torso. He
was surrounded by an aura of raw, physical energy.
The defence counsel, a
thirtyish-looking gentleman of Asian origin, stood beside him, exuding a
confidence you wouldn’t expect him to have, since the evidence prosecution had
presented was highly incriminating and convincing. There was no way the accused
was getting off the hook.
It was now time to wrap up
the case. Both sides were to give their last remarks before the ruling was
made.
Jeremy Doom, the prosecutor,
rose at the prompting of the judge and presented his last remarks. He was a
middle-aged, slim man whose slyness made him famous in Judge Elohim’s court. He
never lost a case. No one knew where he always got his evidence, but he always
had enough evidence to convince the Judge. This case was a piece of pie for
him.
“Your honour, the accused
before you here has been charged with kidnapping a twelve year old girl, raping
her and slicing her throat.”
Doom walked back to his desk
and produced a set of photographs and other documents. He waved them over his
head for all to see.
“You have seen the
photographs that were taken at the crime scene which, conveniently, is the
residence of the accused. You have also seen the DNA report which shows that
the DNA of the seminal fluids got from the victim matches that of the
defendant. Our forensic pathologist never goes wrong, your honour.
“This man standing before you
is not a normal human being. He doesn’t deserve to live among us. His
conscience is so seared that he can’t even feel any remorse for his deeds. Your
honour, our children can never be safe with such a man roaming in our
community.
“I rest my case, your
honour.”
Doom turned and looked at the
people who filled the courtroom. He wanted to make sure that every press camera
caught his face as he drilled the last nail into the defendant’s coffin. He
then walked slowly and purposefully back to his seat, leaving the courtroom in
a deathly silence.
The silence lingered on for a
moment. It was uneasy.
Judge Elohim looked at the
defence counsel, studying him for any hint of fear or cowardice.
“Mr. Jesus,” he said, “you
last remarks.”
The defence counsel stood up.
He raised a tome over his head and waved it the same way Doom had waved his
evidence. There were a few chuckles from the audience as they took it to be a
joke.
“Your honour, in my hand is
the Penal Code. I have pored over this book for the last few days. I have read
it from cover to cover and I haven’t found one single law that my client has
broken.”
Doom was on his feet in a
second, also waving his copy of the Penal Code. “That can’t be true! My Penal Code has over five rules that your client has broken! He must be
prosecuted!”
“ENOUGH!” Judge Elohim
bellowed, glaring at Doom. “I won’t have you hold my court in contempt!”
“I am sorry your honour.”
“Mr. Jesus, proceed.”
Jesus put the book down.
“Your honour, this edition of the Penal Code that I have with me is a revision
of the old one that Mr. Doom has. Mr. Doom’s version was replaced and rendered
obsolete a few years ago. The laws governing this country are now different.
“Your honour, I, Jesus, paid
the ultimate sacrifice for all the crimes of my client even before he committed
them. My sacrifice was strong enough that there was no more need for a law.
That is why there is now no law to convict my client.”
Jesus seemed to have grown
taller as his voice took on a more authoritative tone. He picked up the tome
again, opened it up and raised it for all to see.
“The pages of this book are
blank, your honour. They are not blank because words have never been written on
them. No, your honour. They are blank because my blood—my blood!—wiped away the handwriting that was against my client.
There is therefore now no
condemnation for him because he is in me. My client is not guilty!”
With that, Jesus sat down.
A sigh went out in the
audience. People were letting out breaths they had held for so long.
Judge Elohim looked visibly
troubled. He gestured for both Jesus and Doom to approach the bench. When they
reached, he asked in a low voice, “Doom, did you know about this?”
Doom tilted his head and
shrugged.
Judge Elohim turned to Jesus,
“Why didn’t you bring up this evidence at the beginning of the trial?”
“I wanted to first see how
far Doom could go with his lies, your honour. And I must admit I enjoyed
watching him getting deflated after having deceived himself that he had won the
case before even hearing your verdict.”
“What makes you think my
verdict will be in your favour, Jesus?” Judge Elohim asked.
Jesus smiled. “I guess you
don’t have any other option.”
“Gentlemen,” Judge Elohim
said, looking from one man to the other, “you may now go and take your seats.”
Judge Elohim waited for them
to take their seats before declaring, “Given the evidence before me, court is
adjourned for one hour. I’ll come back to make my ruling then.”
Judge Elohim stood up and
exited the courtroom.
(Excerpt from my upcoming book, What if God Doesn't Really Love You?)
