David Bahn – Reflections

God in the Dock is a collection of essays and speeches from C. S. Lewis. The title implies “God on Trial” (the “dock” is British English for the defendant’s place in the courtroom). The title is based on an analogy made by Lewis suggesting that modern human beings, rather than seeing themselves as standing before God in judgment, prefer to place God on trial while acting as his judge. The Pharisees were putting God in the Dock. It’s a bad idea.

Matthew 16:1-12

And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. ²He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ ³And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. ⁴ An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be called evil or adulterous, much less both. But Jesus calls the most religious folks of his day just that in these verses. What’s the problem with putting God on trial? Why is it evil or an act of spiritual adultery to test Jesus? The simplest answer is that it is an offense to the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.” Whenever we put God on trial we are making ourselves into a god, presuming upon the divine prerogative of judgment. God doesn’t answer to us. We answer to God.

It’s not only a matter of the impropriety of our presumptuousness, however, that makes this a dramatically bad idea. It’s a matter of our inability to do the job. Imagine having actually to judge God’s motives and actions. Imagine having to comprehend all the nuances of every event, the impact not only in our world but at our neighbor’s workplace, in the life of the grandson of our best friend’s boss, the bank teller’s mood when he gets home from work, not to mention events and implications half a world away! It’s like the silly idea that God could just answer every prayer, “Yes.” Who would sort out the mess of seventeen people praying for the same job? We would make a lousy god. We need to acknowledge that.

More important, however, is that not only is God able to do all these things, but he has our best interests at heart. He works all things for the good of those who love him. He provides for our needs and has a storehouse of spiritual blessings that is inexhaustible!

The next time you want to put God in the dock, put yourself there instead. And look to the defense: Jesus Christ the pure and sinless Lamb of God. He has secured our acquittal before the judge of the universe and our eternal well-being by his death and resurrection. He doesn’t belong in the dock; and he has freed us from having to spend an eternity of torment and despair even though we do belong there.