It was quite the scandal in our little community. A prominent businessman was accused of sexual abuse of a minor. The crime was alleged to have occurred many years prior to the reporting of the crime, so the case was going to be difficult to prove. As scandals go, however, the accused was ruined. He went from being a trusted and respected man to being a pariah. Of course, if he was guilty, ostracism was hardly enough punishment.
The progress toward trial took a toll on the accused and his family. Word leaked out that he was in desperate physical condition. A member of my church approached me and asked me to visit the accused in the hospital and to pray with him. I was torn. Did I really want to be the minister who prayed with the child molester? After prayerful consideration, I went. When Jesus talked about visiting those in prison He could not have meant only the innocent, I reasoned.
When I entered the room, he was laying in obvious discomfort. He was morbidly obese, and his weight pressed on him, making it difficult for him to breathe. He was pale, almost eerily so. The machines that were in use to treat his condition made conversation hard. We spoke for a moment or two. I prayed with him. While I do not remember the full prayer, I remember that I prayed that he would recover from his illness and that the truth would come out. Neither of these things happened.
He died not many days after. There could be no trial. If he were guilty, the victims of his crimes would get no justice. If he were innocent, he would receive no vindication. Neither justice nor vindication would be possible in this life. Death closed the door.
We Christians believe in eternal life and in a Savior who will judge “the living and the dead.” So, for those for whom justice is not possible in this life, God is the ultimate giver of justice. For those for whom vindication is not possible in this life, God will finally vindicate the innocent.
So, we pray. We pray even with those accused of the worst. We pray in confidence the God will do what is right because God is a just God.
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