Jesus is my Lawyer

Some of you have probably seen the bumper sticker, "God is my co-pilot." I have some theological problems with that image. But I’d like to propose another bumper sticker, one that I think is actually very sound theologically, although it may not seem so at first. A bumper sticker suitable for all Christians. JESUS IS MY LAWYER.

Jesus is my lawyer. I know lawyers get a pretty bad rap these days, probably for good reason in many cases. But put all of that aside if you can. Put aside all of the contemporary cultural baggage you associate with lawyers. And think for a minute. What does a lawyer really do? What is the true role of a lawyer? A lawyer is an advocate. As far as I know in all of the romance languages—French, Spanish, Italian, Portugese—the word for lawyer comes from the root for "advocate." It’s a term we use in English too, of course, though among others. Advocate. In the strongest possible sense. An advocate is someone who pleads your case. Someone who defends your cause. Someone who does everything he or she can to support your best interests. A lawyer is an advocate. Jesus is my lawyer.

It may sound strange to speak of Jesus as your lawyer. But when we call Jesus our Advocate, we are using New Testament language. It’s right there in the Bible. Many of you will remember this phrase from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer: "Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all who turn to him" And then right after that, "Hear also what Saint John saith." In the words of the King James’ Version, here is what St. John the Evangelist says in the First Letter of John, just a few verses before the reading that was appointed for this morning’s epistle. "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." Jesus is our advocate.

Jesus is our lawyer when we stand before God in judgment for our sins. Jesus is our lawyer. Remember that the Prayer Book offered us these words as comfort, reassurance, a remarkable promise. Jesus is our lawyer. No matter who we are or what we’ve done. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, whether or not you can afford his services. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, whether your sin is tiny or profound. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a life long Christian or brand new. It doesn’t matter. Jesus never refuses a case. If anyone sin, we have an advocate with the father. Anyone can have Jesus as a lawyer.

There is one condition. We must seek and accept his services. We must desire him as our advocate. And to do that we must begin by acknowledging our guilt. We must start by admitting and confessing our guilt. To Jesus. For Jesus to be our lawyer, we must confess and lay open our sin before him. Then he becomes the most remarkable of lawyers. If we acknowledge our guilt, then Jesus—our lawyer, our advocate—takes upon himself the punishment that we deserve. That’s what Saint John "meaneth" when he "saith" that Jesus is the "propitiation for our sins." As we stand in judgment for our sins, Jesus takes upon himself the punishment that by justice should be ours. What an amazing lawyer! Jesus frees us from the imprisonment of our sin, from the burden of our guilt, from the disquiet in our soul and gives us new life reconciled with God. Jesus is our advocate, bringing us into the new life and hope of God’s love.

Jesus is my lawyer. Not a bad image. And it occurs to me that there is another way in which this image fits… Jesus as lawyer. Think about the situations in our regular lives in which we seek or need legal aid. One is surely when we are on trial, being judged for our wrongdoings. That’s what we’ve already considered. But we also need lawyers for help in living our daily lives. We turn to lawyers to guide and counsel us when we want to follow the law, but are uncertain how. When we are in confusing situations without the personal resources or expertise to cope. When we face important and complicated decisions. We turn to lawyers for counsel, for guidance, for support.

Jesus can be this sort of lawyer for us, too. This morning’s gospel reading comes from the portion of John’s gospel known as Jesus’ farewell discourse. Not unlike a lot of other lawyers, Jesus is giving a lengthy speech. Knowing that his death and resurrection are coming soon, he is teaching his disciples. Knowing that he will not be with them much longer in the flesh, he says to his disciples, "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever." The church has long understood this to be the Holy Spirit. Not to strain a metaphor too far I hope, Jesus says to his disciples: When I am gone, you will not be abandoned, you will just be represented by a different senior partner in the heavenly firm. The Holy Spirit will guide, counsel and support you.

While he was with the disciples on earth Jesus had been that sort of advocate for them. He had interpreted God’s will, God’s law for them. He had guided them, taught them how to follow God will. He had showed them the right way forward, helped and supported them as they struggled to become the people God was calling them to be. He was their by their side as advocate and aid. And when he knew that his death was near, he promised them the Holy Spirit to be their Advocate and ours. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is present in our lives today. When we face situations where we are unsure of God’s law or will for us. When we struggle in the midst of complicated situations to make the right decisions. When we feel unequipped or inadequate to become the people God calls us to be, Jesus is with us as advocate, counselor and guide. Jesus is our lawyer.

We must, of course, seek out and follow his counsel. It comes to us in many ways. In prayer, in holy conversation with other Christians, in reading the Holy Scriptures. If we listen, if we are open… the Advocate will speak to us. Speak to us and work with us. It’s a wonderful gift to have Jesus as our lawyer, our advocate. If we do truly and openly seek to do God’s will, to follow God’s law in our daily lives, then God himself will work with us and prosper our efforts. If God is our advocate, we cannot fail. If we are, as Saint John says in this morning’s epistle reading, sharing God’s love in "truth and action", then we may with "boldness" come before God, receiving "from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him."

This does not mean that God may be hired to serve our interests. It does mean that if we are serving God’s interests, God will bring all of God’s own power to the effort. That’s quite an advocate.

On the other hand, if we are not serving God’s interests, our efforts will fail and should fail. If, through our sin, our indifference, our pride, we have not heard God’s word for us, not taken the Holy Spirit’s counsel, and our actions are in opposition to God’s will… then we will fail. If our actions ever impede God’s will for others, God will stand with them, not us.

Jesus is my lawyer.

On the whole, I don’t think most Episcopalians are too big on bumper stickers, especially religious ones. One small discrete Episcopal shield is about it for most of us. But think about it. No matter who we are or what we’ve done, when our sin condemns us, estranges us from God, Jesus is our advocate, taking our guilt upon himself and offering us new life and reconciliation. Or whenever life is challenging and difficult and the way of God for us is obscure or seems beyond our means, Jesus (through the Holy Spirit) is our counselor and guide.

Jesus is my lawyer.