Romans – The Play Part 1

“Now I ask you, Raspusen, shall we say that God is wrong in bringing his wrath upon man? May it never be! You have spread the story that I preached, ‘Let us do evil that good may result.’ You, Raspusen, are going to be condemned for drawing such a conclusion and telling that tale on me. All men will be judged fairly, and God will receive glory. He will receive glory on the day He assesses your heart for what’s in it. God has the right to judge you, sir, for God is God.”

Paul turned back to the judge once more. “Your Honor, this concludes my case against the Jews. I now conclude my case against the Gentiles.”

“Proceed, Paul and Raspusen. I would remind you to mind your decorum.”

Paul continued, “I have essentially the same thing to say to the Gentiles as I did to the Jews. According to the standards they themselves drew up, the Gentiles have done evil. Both Jews and Gentiles will be judged by the law, either the Jewish law or the law of conscience. God alone knows just how many of you have broken those two laws. Your Honor, by the statements they themselves have established, by the standards that they’ve asked to be judged by, most of the people gathered here today stand condemned. That, I believe, they will not be found right with God. Their own standard has condemned them.”

“This ends my summation, Your Honor. The decision of the destiny of man, Your Honor, is now in your hands.” It was almost as though the judge had not heard Paul’s words at all. He was staring again vacantly, oblivious to those around him. After several minutes of silence, he turned and cleared his throat.

“The case has been heard. It’s been fairly stated, fairly argued. You have been drawn here today from the north, the south, the east, and the west, and you have come from all places and from all periods of time, from all of human history. And now falls my lot to render a decision. But I am not qualified to make a decision. Only God knows the heart of each person in this building. I have instructed, therefore, a courier to present to the Supreme Judge a record of all the proceedings that have taken place here in this stadium. This you must understand. Throughout the life of each of you, your God has watched you. He has heard your words. He has seen your deeds. Most of all, he knows your hearts. It is he, and he alone, who must render judgment in this trial. You are to take note that his judgment will be rendered against you, not mine, and that it will be not toward people, but toward each of you individually.

Now if the truth be known, I have the notion that the living God has already made a decision concerning every one of you in this case Therefore I have asked the Supreme Judge to simply send to this court a list of names, just a list of names, that’s all A list of names of all the Gentiles whom God has judged to be right in his eyes I’ve asked the Supreme Judge to send me a list of names, just the names, of all the Jews who are right with God by the fact that they have fully obeyed the law. And I remind you that is the standard you have asked God to judge you by.

The stadium was filled with light whispers, then suddenly silence reigned. The door of the back of the arena had opened; the courier had come in. Paul glanced quickly into the faces of the crowd. Everywhere there was anxiety. Insecurity was written across the faces of every human being present. Except one. Except one. Raspusen sat in his chair, arrogant, confident, and as unmoved as ever. Written upon his face was disdain for others and confidence that his name would be on that list if it was the only name there.

It seemed to take an agonizingly long time for that courier to make his way down the aisles to the judge. The Lord’s leather satchel hung over his shoulder.  All eyes were on that satchel. There was but one question in every mind. Just how big is that scroll inside that satchel? The courier laid the satchel on Paul’s desk and looked up at the judge questioningly. The judge motioned to the courier to open the contents. The young man pulled out a leather pouch securely fastened by a cord. Slowly, meticulously, the young man began untying the knot. The agony of anticipation hung over the vast arena like a cloud. At last, the leather pouch opened. Not an eye blinked as the young man pulled it out. A scroll emerged, covered, completely covered in wax. The courier began to break the wax. Beneath the waterproof paraffin was a piece of sheepskin. Finally, the young man lifted the scroll from out of the sheepskin.

Paul’s eyes automatically swept the audience. Perspiration was pouring down every face, even the judge’s. There was one exception. Raspusen was as calm, as cool, and as unmoved as ever. At that moment, the youth very deliberately raised the scroll above his head for all to see. A long, low moan rose from the assembly. The scroll was very small. The lad handed the scroll to the judge. The judge’s hands were shaking perceptibly as he carefully unrolled the fragile parchment. Once unfolded, it could be seen by everyone that it was no more than two hands’ breath long.

At best, there could only be a few names on that scroll. How many? A dozen? Two dozen? At the most? Perhaps one or two? Raspusen straightened his frame, seeming to grow in both confidence and arrogance by the moment. And now the judge stood. It was the most tense moment ever recorded. The judge’s eyes swept the scroll, and as he read the contents, his whole body began to shake. At last, the judge spoke. His voice was thin. His face betrayed his shock at what the scroll contained.

“We have here that which I feared the most. The Supreme Judge of the Universe, the Creator Himself, has already judged each of you. And I remind you individually that the news is not good, not good at all. It is now my duty to read this verdict. This, I remind you, is God’s decision. I must remind you that, having read this document, it will be my task to pass judgment upon the guilty.” The judge’s voice trailed off. After a moment, he continued, his eyes vacant, his face ashen.