I am outraged. And I am disgusted. Understand that as you read. It will not be my intention to pull any punches. As a pastor, it has always been my practice to err on the side of grace. I will not do that here. If I err, I will purposely err on the side of the law. If you can’t handle that, stop reading.

I made the mistake the other night of reading the Grand Jury Report on the child molestation charges against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. He has been charged with 40 counts of child molestation. It has left me unsettled for days. According to witnesses and the victims themselves, Sandusky molested eight boys on multiple occasions over 15 years.

More disheartening and disgusting is that these boys were part of a foundation started by Sandusky called “The Second Mile”, which was created to encourage and support boys from abusive homes. Many of the boys were molested in the Penn State shower rooms. For ten years or more, multiple PSU leaders and coaches, including legendary coach Joe Paterno, knew of- or even witnessed- the allegations, yet did nothing about it. Arguably, turning a blind eye and covering up the abuse, enabling Sandusky to prey upon young boys- and perhaps even worse!- for 15 years.

As I write, there are more than a dozen other boys who have come forward, as well as a horrific investigation into even more sinister and sickening allegations.

You go right ahead and sit high on your horse and tell me that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Although seemingly noble, it’s a load of manure. First of all, we’re all guilty (Romans 3:23). Nobody’s innocent. Secondly, 12 sinful jurors can consider all the evidence they want, and can make decisions based on a strong “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard, but the bottom line is this: You are not innocent until proven guilty. If you are guilty, you are guilty. Period.

And don’t pull out Matthew 7:1 and stick it in my face. “Judge not, lest ye be judged” is one of the most misquoted verses in the bible. Simply put, you and I are not to judge the soul. That’s God’s job. But you better believe that the Lord gives us not only the right, but the responsibility, to judge actions. In fact, the Lord condemns us if we do not judge the wrong deeds of others: “If I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.” (Ezekiel 3:18)

Make no mistake, Jesus loved the world (John 3:16)… and even begged His Father to forgive those who were killing Him (Luke 23:34), but… don’t think for a moment that the actions of Jerry Sandusky don’t make Jesus sick to His stomach. Jesus pulls no punches: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6)

Strong words, eh? Don’t miss what Jesus is saying here: Jerry Sandusky would have been better off dead than to do what he did. (Reminds me of what Jesus said about another man: “Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born."- Matthew 26:24.)

One commentator writes on Matthew 18:6- “The sin is so heinous, and the ruin proportionally so great, that he had better undergo the sorest punishments inflicted on the worst of malefactors, which can only kill the body. Hell is worse than the depth of the sea; for it is a bottomless pit, and it is a burning lake. The depth of the sea is only death, but hell is tormenting.”

As much as my sinful nature wants to judge Jerry Sandusky’s soul to the deepest levels of hell, that’s not my job. But for me to suggest that Sandusky would have been better off dead? Well… quite frankly… that’s what Jesus would do.

My gut feeling is that Jerry Sandusky will soon meet his Maker, most likely by his own hand. It would fit that he lived life as a coward, so it would not surprise me that he die as one.

At the end of this sad story, the truth is simply that Jerry Sandusky deserves hell. But then again, so do I.

Here’s the naked truth: I am a much better man than Jerry Sandusky, but both he and I have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). It’s just plain stupid for me to feel good about getting closer to the mark than Sandusky, while we’re both falling to our deaths, neither capable of crossing the gap on our own.

Sandusky may ultimately come to see his deplorable sins for what they are. Depraved. Insidious. Sickening. And if he is cut to whatever heart remains in his soul, he may find himself broken before the Lord, begging for forgiveness.

And Jesus… well... He will happily give it.

If this is the case, then Jesus will welcome Jerry into heaven.

But pardon me, Lord, if I don’t look for him when- by Your grace alone- I get there.

The over-hype of the NFL draft has me reminiscing of my days at the seminary call service. 100 pastors, one-by-one “drafted” into churches, waiting for our names to be called, and anxious about where we will end up. Kristen- as did many other wives- came to the call service with a map of every state in the U.S. Churches were assigned candidates to places like Immanuel Lutheran in Zap, North Dakota, and my other buddy Darryl assigned to the Lutheran Church of Nassau… in the Bahamas.

I almost wonder what the present day hype would be surrounding the leaders of the early church, drafted into ministry…

Mock Draft:

1. St. John the Apostle. Perhaps a bit of a reach at #1, this “son of thunder” (Mark 3:17) earns his nickname. His measurables are unquestioned. His faithfulness as the only disciple present at the crucifixion reveals a boldness not found in his pre-Pentecost counterparts. Yet, there are no character issues with John, largely evidenced by his humility. There is only one apostle of Jesus not mentioned by John in the gospel, and that is John himself. Endurance, wisdom, creativity, introversion, and speed (John 20:3-4) define the #1 pick on the board. Lutherans will take note of John’s impressive reps, specifically his sacramental focus on Word (John 1), water and wine (John 2), water and spirit (John 3), living water (John 4), body and bread (John 6), and water and blood (John 19).

2. St. Paul of Tarsus. Paul drops on the Big Board largely due to his run-on sentences, and run-ins as a youth. A pre-draft consensus #1, Paul’s strengths are clearly demonstrated in his heart for missions, his relentless pursuit of pure doctrine and theology, and his no-holes-barred approach toward teamwork (Galatians 2). However, Paul is a natural leader, not a follower, which created friction among teammates (Acts 15). Although Paul’s integrity is strong, some are concerned about his off-the-field issues dating back to his pre-Damascus days (Acts 7-8). Yet Paul is gym rat… there are no concerns about Paul’s tireless work ethic (2 Corinthians 11).

3. King David. Certainly #1 on many draft boards, Bethlehem’s David is a veritable giant-slayer. Wise, strong, courageous, and rugged, David has all the intangibles of greatness, but has a penchant to lose focus. Some are concerned that following his early victories in Philistine, success came too easily for David, culminating in a very public moral scandal (2 Samuel 11). However, his contributions in literature, music, architecture, and government are epic. Well-rounded and versatile, David could easily be the #1 pick.

4. Moses. Talent is clearly evident in this pick, but his ability to lead is debated among scouts. Although significant victories earned early success, Moses ability to follow through to the end has lead to some to label him a high risk/ high reward project. Highly volatile (Exodus 2:12, Exodus 32:19, Numbers 20:11) and stubborn, Moses also demonstrates a competitive perseverance not easily found.

5. St. Peter, Cephas. Peter plays on raw emotion. This is both his great strength (Luke 22:33) and weakness (Luke 22:62). His competitiveness is remarkable, and his combine numbers as evangelist are off the charts (Acts 2:41, Acts 4:4). Peter, given the nickname “Rock” is best known for his iron-clad confession of faith by which even the gates of hell could not prevail (Matthew 16:18). Whereas St. Paul is more of an all-purpose defender, St. Peter is a specialist.

6. Abraham. Possibly one of the great steals of the draft, Abraham could find himself dropping due to questions of consistency, heart, and impatience (see Moriah, Egypt, and Hagar). Yet Abraham’s track record is one of leadership, dedication, and persistence. If Abraham is still on the board at six, take him.

7. Noah. A man of unparalleled faith. Noah sails into the top ten due to his innovation. Noah’s vision was groundbreaking, and his capacity to think big has the Lions, Bears, Panthers, and Jaguars seriously looking at him. A notable DUI has scared away some, but character issues are not concern for this captain.

8. King Solomon. This would be a smart pick. Solomon has demonstrated a wisdom beyond his peers, yet even his intelligence is unable to keep him from questions of promiscuous behavior. An exceptional team-builder, you can build a franchise around this selection, but Solomon finds himself falling for good reason (1 Kings 11:4).

9. St. Matthew. A crafty veteran, Levi’s greatest strength is in ability to change directions (Matthew 9). Only one of the three in the top ten (John, Peter) from the Joshua Tree of leadership, Matthew’s focus is as a defensive specialist. My money is on Matthew to be a great commissioner, with this not-to-taxing pick.

10. St. Mary. Large groups of draft-beatniks have Mary ranked #1 on their boards, but the feeling here is that it is far too much of a reach. The blessed Virgin certainly has insight, devotion, and a better handle on the playbook than most, but her lack of playing time (as evidenced by the fact that Mary is mentioned on only 5 occasions, and never mentioned after Acts 1) has many concerned.