Sermon Illustrations: Justice

In England, a man named Whitefield and his friend were taking five guineas to a widow with a large family. On the way, a highwayman held them up, and took their money. Not long after, the highwayman returned, took Whitefield's coat and said, "'Ere, you can 'ave mine." With that, the robber left Whitefield with his. A little later, they heard the highwayman returning yet again so, fearing for their lives, they took off on their horses to the nearest town. When Whitefield took off the coat, there inside was a carefully wrapped parcel with 100 guineas.

On 3rd July, 1988, the USS Vincennes accidentally shot down an Iranian plane with 290 aboard. The ship's captain had thought they were under attack by an Iranian F-14 fighter. Most Americans were against paying compensation to victims' families because of the hostage crisis in 1979. Nevertheless, Reagan approved the compensation, and when asked by reporters about what message it sent, he replied, "I don't ever find compassion a bad precedent."