The last time I was in 'their' court was June 2008. It was in regards to 'driving without a drivers license'. As I shared in previous posts, my experience with the courts have been different. By telling that Crown Prosecutor, who is also an officer of the court, that the ticket was not me, I avoided joinder or making an oath of fealty which shut down their whole game. But is this a unique situation?
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Scripture shares a story where a fellow we have all heard about did a similar thing.
And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. - Matthew 27:11-14
The people took council to judge him by forming a Great Sanhedrin, found him guilty of not paying tribute to Caesar.
tribute: rent or homage paid in money or equivalent by a subject to his sovereign or a vassal to his lord.
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Many priests and scholars would explain this as him surrendering to ensure he fulfill prophecy, and they may be right. However, I cannot help but recognize that what he is doing is setting the boundary and making it clear that he is not a vassal or subject to any king, feudal lord, fictional construct, state, or body politic. He recognized that if he spoke in court he would be testifying against himself and submitting to their jurisdiction and authority. This impressed the governor as I suspect he knew exactly what was going on and what he was doing.
The other thing to note here is that the council that the people put together trumped Caesar's court and in fact demanded that Caesar carry out their orders. Caesar did not crucify Christ, the people did, through Caesar's monopoly on violence, coercion and force. A great Sanhedrin consists of 71 men, but a Sanhedrin consists of 23. When a Sanhedrin sits to judge over another, they must find a majority within the Sanhedrin. A majority means at least 12 must find the individual guilty or not guilty. Does that number sound familiar? It should, that is how many people sit on a jury in today's courts.
The jury, when assembled is THE MOST POWERFUL AUTHORITY IN THE COURT. They have the authority to nullify (jury nullification) statutes and regulations that they feel are unjust, morally or ethically wrong. They can set people free even if they are guilty of violating statutes that in turn violates the principles of a peaceful, compassionate and just community.
What I did in the court room almost 10 years ago is no different than what Christ did. He knew that if he submitted to the courts jurisdiction that he would have violated his commitment to God and abandoned the spiritual jurisdiction he worked his entire life to honour. Being convicted by the people for not paying tribute to Caesar also proves that he was no feudal serf, citizen or slave. I recognized the same and followed by example and some people don't like what I do.
I don't actually fear the government much any more. It is the mob that has lost their minds, hearts and compassion. They have no issues with calling upon the government and reporting people. They cannot engage in violence themselves without being charged, so they call upon the state instead. It is abhorrent behaviour. I've witnessed similar behaviour even on this platform where loving caring people turn to the dark side and express the most ugly hate, anger, violence and vengeance.
If we want to find peace in our lives, it requires that we walk away from Caesar (state), not depend on him to engage in violence and coercion and find ways to be peaceful and forgiving. We are not going to resolve the issues of this modern world by resorting to violence when ever somebody does us wrong, is engaged in greed, violates our sensibilities or just pisses us off.
Despite all the accusations, not once did Christ lash out, go to war or even acknowledge them. He never paid tribute or swore an oath of fealty to Caesar either. He was nobodies slave or feudal serf but instead dedicated his life to serve God. That is powerful! That requires forgiveness and spiritual strength.
To stand before a judge scared the hell out of me, but I did it. I did not have to utter a single word to that judge for her to dismiss the case. She made it very clear that it was not a precedent setting case and I now know why. Because I was not the first to do what I did. Many have gone before me with the same results! I have not stepped into their court room ever since.
