“Pastor, would you consider being a character witness for John [not his real name]?”

That was the question that I was presented with. I knew John, of course, I had known him when he was in church and I had also known him from visiting him in jail when he had landed himself in some trouble. Now the day for his trial was approaching and his lawyer had reached out to ask if I could be a witness to his character.

I agreed and showed up to the courthouse wearing my collar, which I figured was a good look for a character witness. What I didn’t realize was that there were other witnesses going before me, witnesses that were saying things that I had no idea were going to be said. Things that I didn’t realize about John’s case, and things that challenged me as I sat there in that courtroom. But I knew what I had seen in John. I had seen repentance and a desire to amend life. I could stand by those statements, even in the light of new evidence.

My time never actually came. I had written a letter which had been included in the judge’s docket. No further questions necessary.

I wonder if sometimes that’s how we feel when we are told by Jesus in Acts 1:8 that “you will be my witnesses.” Sometimes we get worried perhaps that other things will be brought up. Maybe not about Jesus Himself, but certainly about the Church. We’re afraid of what will happen if we are presented with questions about the violence of the Church in things like the Crusades? How will we answer questions of homophobia or entanglement with politicians or trying to suppress science?

Thankfully, we are not told by Jesus that we will be “the Church’s witnesses.” Certainly, we also have a responsibility there, but primarily, we are called to be His witnesses, Jesus’ witnesses. Of course this means that we are a part of the Church, and it does mean that we should live up to the call of what it means to be the Church. But when it comes to our witness? Our witness is a witness of Jesus Christ – and His character is unassailable.

So when you have a chance to witness and you’re afraid someone is going to turn it around on the Church, accept that we are an organization of sinners – but our Christ, the one to Whom we bear witness – is a different story.