Over the past six weeks I have seen more drama concerning the court system than I care to recall.  First, there was the District court in Washington state which opined that the President’s executive order on travel was unconstitutional.  Then, the appellate court failed to overturn the district court.  After that, a sitting federal judge was accused of abetting the escape of a defendant charged with illegal immigration practices.  To top it all off, the senate is still fussing about the confirmation of the President’s nominee for the Supreme Court.  Why all this furor over the selection of judges?  Because we have given judges great power and authority to uphold the law and ensure justice is done.  Judges have a sacred duty to uphold the law and the people have a right to expect that their judges are above honorable and above reproach.

This is nothing new – judges have been part of cultures for thousands of years.  While much has changed over the centuries, the expectation that a judge’s character and conduct are above reproach has remained constant.  Sadly, there have always been instances of judges who lost sight of their sacred duty and allowed their own pride and prejudices to blind them to the injustices they were committing from the Bench.  This week we’ll discuss one of those infamous judges.  His name is Caiaphas and he was Israel’s High Priest and President of the Sanhedrin (their religious court).  I look forward to seeing you Sunday as we review the cataclysmic damage which can be done when a judge loses sight of his duties.  In the meantime, I ask you to pray that we may all remain strong in our faith and not succumb to the temptations of the World.

-Pastor Dave Jones