A small town prosecuting attorney called his first
witness to the stand in a trial — a grandmotherly, elderly woman. He
approached her and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know me?” She
responded, “Why, yes, I do know you Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since you
were a young boy. And frankly, you’ve been a big disappointment to me. You lie,
you cheat on your wife, you manipulate people and talk about them behind their
backs. You think you’re a rising big shot when you haven’t the brains to
realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher.
Yes, I know you.”
The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to
do, he pointed across the room and asked, “Mrs. Williams, do you know the
defense attorney?” She again replied, “Why, yes I do. I’ve known Mr.
Bradley since he was a youngster, too. I used to baby-sit him for his parents.
And he, too, has been a real disappointment to me. He’s lazy, bigoted, he has a
drinking problem. The man can’t build a normal relationship with anyone and his
law practice is one of the shoddiest in the entire state. Yes, I know
him.”
At this point, the judge rapped the courtroom to
silence and called both counselors to the bench. In a very quiet voice, he said
with menace, “If either of you asks her if he knows me, you’ll be in jail for contempt
within 5 minutes!”
It’s rather frightening, isn’t it, to think of
someone knowing (and sharing) everything there is to know about us! In the book
of Revelation, seven letters are sent from Jesus Christ to seven churches in
words:
“I know your works….”(Rev. 2:2)
It is a sobering thought to know that as we stand
before the great Judge, there is one who knows all about us. May that knowledge
serve to motivate us to live righteous lives,
“For God will bring every work into judgment,
including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Eccl. 12:14)
Have a great day!
Alan Smith
