THE DAY I WAS ARRESTED
When I was a little boy, two years of age, my mother died. When I was four years of age my father died. I was living here and there and I was a sinner. I was to be fourteen years of age the 10th of the coming March, it was Christmas week, and I was caught in sin and put under arrest and dragged to court.
I did not cry. I had cried all the tears out of my head. I tried to look at the judge; I wished that I could faint. I was guilty. I did not have a friend. I was miserable and they packed the courthouse. They looked at me, then at the judge. Their faces said, “Judge, give him the full penalty of law and save us all the trouble later on,” I felt the whole universe was down on me.
By and by a clerk stood up and said, “This court is open.” The judge said, “Has this boy anyone to represent him?” I did not know the meaning of this. I thought that fellow was the one who was going to take me out and hang me. They said, “No.” I was hopeful. The judge said to a lawyer, “I appoint you to take this boy’s case.” He walked through the crowd, pushed a policeman aside and took me into a room. I sunk into a corner. I thought he was going to drag me to execution. But I saw tears under his eyelashes. He sat down and slipped his arm around me. It was a tender touch and it drew me to him.
“My little friend, are you guilty?” he asked.
I could not have lied to him to save the world. He gave me a little squeeze. I said, “Yes, sir, I am guilty and lots more they don’t even know about.” When I looked at him I could not lie. I had found a friend. I feel his hand yet. Oh, it was such a wonderful touch to an orphan child.
He said, “Don’t you think you had better confess guilty and throw yourself on the mercy of the court?”
I did not know what that meant, but I thought if he would throw me, it would be best. I said, “Please, sir, throw me on the mercy of the court.”
He put his hand on my head and I put out my dirty claw-like fingers and grabbed his coat; then the feeling came to me, if I hang on to his coat, he will pull me through.
He came to the judge and said, “If it please your Honor, it has been my privilege to practice before this bar for many years. I have noticed that when the ends of justice can be secured and society protected, it is your Honor’s custom to show mercy. I stand with this trembling orphan child, without father or mother, home or friend, to beg your Honor’s mercy. His heart is broken; he pleads for forgiveness.”
I grabbed some more coat. I thought, “Wow, that was a great speech,” It was just the introduction. He spoke until silence filled every mouth. He spoke until the most beautiful language filled every corner of the court. He spoke until old men wept. He spoke until my policeman was brushing tears from his eyes. He spoke until he said. “If you will show compassion for this orphan child, I pledge your Honor, to look after his education and his upbringing and give to society a useful citizen. I want to adopt him as my very own.” He spoke until my heart burst within me for love and admiration for my friend. If I could but put my ragged coat sleeves around his neck and kiss his cheek just one time, they could take me out and hang me and I would die happy.
Then the greatest shock of all came. He spoke to the judge and said, “My Father.” That shot through me like a bolt out of the blue. The judge had appointed his own son to plead for me. Like as not he would have mercy on me.
“My Father,” he continued, “the intentness of my love for my little client comes out of the fact that he is my brother.” I wasn’t much on mathematics, but I could see at once that the judge on the bench was the father of my attorney, and the attorney was my brother, then the judge was my father too.
I gave a shout… and made a leap…
Then the judge stood up and said, “Rejoice, for the lost is found and the dead is alive.” What a great story this is and more so if we learn that Jesus died that He might present us to His Father, and thus make His Father ours. It is through His sacrifice and under His control that we dare approach the Father. The scriptures say, “There is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.”
Being arrested may be the best day of your life if you get Him for your lawyer.