Jury Duty

For the second time in 3 years, I was summoned by the state of Delaware to serve as a member of the jury.  I have been summoned 5 times, excused from my first 3 tours of duty, but I have been unable to get out of my last 2 days of service.  In Matthew 5:25, Jesus says to settle matters quickly.  Fortunately, the 40 cases that were to appear in petite court today all settled before going before a jury.  Therefore, my day consisted of writing the first 20 scenes of my next movie, watching Let’s Make a Deal with Wayne Brady and The Price is Right.

This morning I read a passage from Proverbs 24:26 which applies to trials.  “An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.”  Exactly why Solomon uses this analogy is unknown, yet with 700 wives and 300 concubines, Solomon understood the gratification of the truth.  When honesty is heard within a selfish and wicked world, love is displayed by that individual.  Telling the truth is a sign of intimacy between 2 people or within the context of a family.

Finally, while most people despise jury duty, it is part of our civic duty as citizens of this country.  During my first time serving as a juror member, I was excused from the 12 member panel by the defense since I was a high school Bible teacher.  After being called to be in another jury pool, the case ran out of jury members before I was called so there was a mistrial until a new jury pool was selected.  Although the 2 cases I heard were somewhat gruesome in detail, I did enjoy my encounter and I look forward to serving one day again in the near future.  According to Proverbs 24:23-25, God blesses honest and upright jury members.

by Jay Mankus