Reacting to a Verdict

Making headlines here in the Twin Cities area this past weekend was the verdict of acquittal for Jeronimo Yanez, an office with the City of Saint Anthony police department who had been accused of shooting Philando Castile on July 6, 2016 after a routine traffic stop.  According to the Ramsey County Prosecutor's office, the verdict  was "the product of a fair and impartial investigation, thorough prosecution review and a trial by a jury of Ramsey County residents."  According to one juror who was polled following the reading of the verdict, the way the law was written just did not provide any reason for a guilty verdict. 


After the verdict was read, anger began to mount among the black community.  Friday evening protesters took to the streets blocking a major interstate highway causing hardships for those traveling those roadways.  Cries of discrimination filled the airwaves.  Fortunately, there was no violence.


But, as disappointing as the verdict was to many, it was still a verdict that had been reached fairly.  Officer Yanez had his day(s) in court.  A jury impaneled from among his peers heard days of testimony.  Both the defense attorney and the prosecutor brought their "A-game" to the courtroom.  Finally, after hours of deliberation, the jury reached a verdict of not guilty.  This was not a judge's decision; this was the decision reached by twelve members of the community.  For these twelve individuals, there simply was either not enough evidence to bring a conviction or their understanding of the law was not sufficient to render a guilty verdict.  Perhaps it was a combination of both.  This day and age to get twelve people to agree on anything is a minor miracle, let alone an agreement in a criminal case.


A trial among your peers is one of our foundational freedoms.  At times, juries do make a wrong decision, but that does not happen very often.  Yes, we may second-guess the decision.  We may even strongly disagree with the decision, but we must accept it.  Failure to do so will lead to a continued breakdown of both moral and legal authority.  I believe that submitting to a jury's verdict is one aspect of submitting to authority that the Apostle Paul describes in Romans 13.  It is part of our responsibility as a Christian and as a citizen. 


Tensions continue to increase over the skies of Syria where a Navy fighter plane shot down a Syrian warplane yesterday.  I am confident that the Russians will increase the volume of their rhetoric over this incident.  Tensions continue to also increase in London where an attack outside a mosque left one person dead.  Tensions continue to mount in the Korean Peninsula as the North Koreans continue in their attempts to develop a vehicle that could bring death and destruction to Japan and even to the United States.  I am so grateful that the Lord is coming and our hope is to be in Him.


There will be no blogs for the next couple of weeks.  I leave tomorrow with a group of teenagers and parents to spend 12 days in the Holy Land.  This will be my 12th tour to Israel and I am about as excited as I was when I made my very first trip some 38 years ago.  I know our group will appreciate your prayers while we are there.  I believe God has some wonderful truths to teach us as we walk in the footsteps of the patriarchs and of Jesus.  Upon my return, I will give you an update on what is happening there in that strategic part of God's world.