The Importunate

We have all had jaw dropping moments when we hear stories of those who have been wrongfully convicted for a crime they did not commit. Some were already deceased, therefore, the only exoneration they will receive is by historians regarding their stories of innocence, while others may be released from their sentence, only after serving many years for something they did not in fact do. With new technology, science, and biochemistry in the 21^st century, which provides better communication, transportation, and forensic evidence, wrongful convictions are much less likely to happen. A couple of our children work in a prison in the state that we reside in, working in varying capacities with differing job duties and descriptions, depending on the day, or what has happened that day. They have seen just about all the horrific things that could be seen in a spiritually depraved environment.  Though many of the inmates claim innocence, there are many who admit to their wrongdoing. They know they are in prison for life and try to make the best of a bad situation. Although it is more often than not, it is very difficult to ascertain who is telling the truth in these situations, however, we can all agree that even one occurrence of wrongful accusation with these kinds, or worse consequences, is of course too many.

The handy internet gives us a list, though limited, that they have posted of ‘Wrongful Convictions in the United States’. The preface states, “This list of wrongful convictions in the United States includes people who have been legally exonerated, including people whose convictions have been overturned or vacated, and who have not been retried because the charges were dismissed by the states. It also includes some historic cases of people who have not been formally exonerated (by a formal process such as has existed in the United States since the mid-20th century) but who historians believe are factually innocent. Generally, research by historians has revealed original conditions of bias or extrajudicial actions that related to their convictions and/or executions. People who were wrongfully accused are sometimes never released. By February 2020, a total of 2,551 exonerations were mentioned in the National Registry of Exonerations. The total time these exonerated people spent in prison adds up to 22,540 years. Detailed data from 1989 regarding every known exoneration in the United States is listed. Data prior to 1989, however, is limited. By 2020, twenty individuals had been exonerated while on death row due to DNA evidence.”  Wow, over 22,000 years of wrongful sentences served. This is just a list of unknown people to us and an outlandish number that we can hardly comprehend, until it happens to us or to someone we love.

According to the dictionary, DNA is “a self-replicating material that is present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information, the fundamental and distinctive characteristics or qualities of someone or something, especially when regarded as unchangeable. The molecule inside cells that contains the genetic information responsible for the development and function of an organism. DNA molecules allow this information to be passed from one generation to the next.” For these reasons, in the 21st century, they can examine any piece of clothing, a hair, skin or bodily fluids and so forth, to see if in fact the one accused was at the scene of the crime and/or involved in the crime. This was developed by Swiss born biochemist, Fredrich Miescher in 1869, however, it was more than 80 years for its importance and full use to be established. Anyone falsely accused today would be very grateful for this discovery, along with the concept that you are ‘innocent until proven guilty’. 

Let me share a couple of the short stories on this list with you.

On May 5, 1872, William Jackson Marion, was convicted of murder and put to death. It states,

“Marion was convicted of killing John Cameron, who left with him to work on the railroad in 1872. In 1891, four years after Marion’s execution by hanging, Cameron turned up alive, explaining that he had vanished by his own volition. He had spent twenty years traveling across Mexico, Alaska, and Colorado. On March 25, 1987, Marion was pardoned posthumously by the State of Nebraska on the 100th anniversary of his hanging.”

In the year 1912, Bill Wilson, was convicted of murder, sentenced to life in prison, and served 6 years. The record states,

“Wilson was convicted of murdering his wife, Jenny Wilson, and their 19-month-old daughter. Bones presented by the prosecution in court were later discovered to be those of at least four or five people and likely of indigenous ethnicity. Wilson received a formal pardon from the Alabama governor after his wife and daughter were discovered to be living in Vincennes, Indiana.”

In the year 1913, Thomas and Meeks Griffin, were convicted of murder and executed by the electric chair. Their story goes like this,

“The Griffins were prominent black farmers in Chester County, South Carolina, believed to be the wealthiest blacks in the area. They were convicted and executed via the electric chair in 1915 for the murder in 1913 of 74-year-old John Q. Lewis. The Griffin brothers were convicted based on the accusations of another black man, John “Monk” Stevenson, who was known to be a small-time thief. Stevenson, who was found in possession of the victim’s pistol, was sentenced to life in prison in exchange for testifying against the brothers. Two other African Americans, Nelson Brice and John Crosby, were executed with the brothers for the same crime. Some in the community believed that Lewis may have been murdered because of his suspected consensual sexual relationship with 22-year-old Anna Davis, a black married woman. Davis and her husband were never tried for the murder of Lewis, possibly for fear of a “mixed race relationship” scandal.

Over 100 people petitioned Gov. Richard Manning to commute the brothers’ sentence. The signatories included prominent white people, including Blackstock’s mayor, a sheriff, two trial jurors, and the grand jury foreman. But the governor allowed the brothers to be executed.

In October 2009, the governor of South Carolina pardoned Thomas and Meeks Griffin. Their great-nephew Tom Joyner had achieved the pardons after investigating the case and presenting evidence to the state of the injustice, after learning about his relatives’ executions.”  Note: 96 years had passed since the conviction, and their case was appealed by a great-nephew.

On February 21,1965, Muhammad Aziz, and Khalil Islam, were convicted of murder, and sentenced to life in prison. They served 55 years. That is 110 years of wrongful time spent behind bars. This is their story.

“Aziz and Islam were convicted of the murder of Malcolm X based on mistaken witness ID and official misconduct, despite Thomas Hagan, one of Malcolm X’s actual killers, testifying that Aziz and Islam had nothing to do with the murder.”

These stories go on and on and you can read them for yourselves later. Keep in mind, these are just in the United States. These types of things happen around the world and in high profile cases as well. Including the most recent wrongful impeachment of the 45^th President of the United States, Donald Trump. Another example is Nelson Mandela. This excerpt taken from a Britannica article reads, “Nelson Mandela, in full Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, by name Madiba, (born July 18, 1918, Mvezo, South Africa—died December 5, 2013, Johannesburg), Black nationalist and the first Black president of South Africa (1994–99). His negotiations in the early 1990s with South African Pres. F.W. de Klerk helped end the country’s apartheid system of racial segregation and ushered in a peaceful transition to majority rule. Mandela and de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1993 for their efforts.” You say, wow, this is impressive, however, the rest of the story is that he was wrongfully tried for treason and sabotage, and sentenced to a life of imprisonment, years before this success was realized. He spent 27 years in a maximum security prison, and 18 of those years he did hard labor and stayed in a cell with no bed or plumbing. This was all for voicing his opinion about apartheid because those in power held different views toward it.  Through it all, as one writer stated, “However, Mandela’s resolve remained unbroken…” He not only had personal resilience, but his convictions and hope for change kept him going.

We find Jesus speaking to his disciples in Luke 11:1-13 regarding prayer. Prayer is a communication with God, a conversation if you will, in which you can share your love for one another, chat about your day, and make your needs known to him. The passage goes like this. “And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, when ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. And he said unto them, which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needs. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”

Jesus’ instructions were to ask. People cannot read your mind. In the case of the father in this verse, the son asks for bread, fish, or egg. He would not know the child is hungry or in need unless they are an infant, or they ask. Of course, he also goes on to say that if he asks for those good things, the father, because he is loving would not give him a stone, serpent, or a scorpion. He is correlating this with prayer and us as Christians asking God for what we have need of. However, let us look at the first part of the reading. He tells the story of a friend that comes to your door at an inopportune time, asking for bread, because he has been inconvenienced by his friend coming to stay and has nothing to feed him. Even though they are friends, he tells him no at first because it is a very inconvenient time, but when the friend insists, “because of his importunity”, he gives him the bread. Yes, it is just to get rid of him quickly and shut him up, because the kids are already asleep, however, the friend walks away with his need met, aka, the bread. No one else knows what you need, and no one else is going to plead your case or fight for you. You must initiate the conversation, and ask, plead, appeal if needed, and believe. This is God’s way, and it is how life works.

Let us research a few dictionary definitions here before we continue. ‘Importunity’ means, the quality or state of being importunate or an importunate request or demand. Synonyms are, claim, demand, requisition, ultimatum. The etymology of this word indicates it is less than favorable because an importunate lacks consideration for others and is relentless, or troublesome in an effort to impose oneself, authority, or need upon another. However, the saying goes, “Desperate times call for desperate measures”.  The word ‘appeal’ means, in law, a legal proceeding by which a case is brought before a higher court for review of the decision of a lower court, or an application (as to a recognized authority) for corroboration, vindication, or decision, or an earnest plea for help. Synonyms are adjuration, conjuration, entreaty, petition, plea, pray, solicitation, supplication, beg, beseech, conjure, implore, importune, or petition. ‘Persistence’ means, the action or fact of persisting, the quality or state of being persistent, especially perseverance.  Synonyms are, abidance, ceaselessness, continuance, durability, endurance. We can see how importunity, appealing and persistence go hand in hand. And the scripture bears witness to the fact that this is often how we receive what we need, battles are won and how victories are realized.

Paul tells us how he manages his walk with the Lord in Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” He also admonishes Timothy, his son in the Lord, in 1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” James tells us what to do to receive the crown of life in James 1:12, “Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”  Jesus said in Matthew 10:22, “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endures to the end shall be saved.” These are just a very few examples and we could never cover them all in this article, of the pressing, laying hold, fighting, and enduring that we need to get what we need in this life and from the Lord as well. An example of this may be in this scenario that is probably familiar to most of you, wait for it. “Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy……” This will go on indefinitely, until the child gets the parent’s attention, and his need or question has been satisfied. It is not a wonder that Jesus said repeatedly in various ways, as seen in Matthew 18:3, “And said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” We will not be able to make it and we will come up short, without childlike faith and importunity. 

Jesus gave another example in Luke 18:1-8, “And he spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, there was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”  In the story, the judge did not feel that there would be any consequences for not hearing the widow’s case. He was not Godly, nor did he probably have any scruples at all. He was just irritated at her continual pleading and wanted to get rid of her. But God, will hear us right away when we ask in faith, because he loves us and wants to meet our needs. He is a just judge.

As in one of the stories we shared from the ‘Wrongful Convictions’ list, the great-nephew of the two Griffin brothers wrongfully accused of murder investigated and presented evidence to their innocence 96 years after the fact, so too should we plead the case of those we see who are in need. Ofttimes, they cannot speak for themselves, and they need an advocate who will persist and appeal for them.  Jesus himself in his earthly ministry gives us the ultimate example of this in John 17. He prays for his own strength, but also for his disciples.  John 17, “These words spoke Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, even Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou hast given me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou hast given me out of the world: thine they were, and thou hast given them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou hast given me; and they have received them and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou hast given me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou hast given me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.” What a powerful, bold prayer and petition, filled with earnest appeal and all the while presenting the evidence of his case.

In this day that we live in we must not be shy or timid when it comes to our needs spiritually, physically, or emotionally. In the media, through politicians, and in every social circle, we hear about our ‘rights.’ Yes, we have them, but we must educate ourselves so that we can understand them to pursue after them. We must also study the word of God so we can be fully aware that God has all that we need and that He wants to supply them. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  We can be bold, strong, courageous, and persistent, until we get an answer, if we have done our research and can present the evidence. The scripture states that our accuser (Satan) will be brought to naught. Revelation 12:10 states, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God, day and night.” Jesus also said in John 8:32-36, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, we be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abides not in the house for ever: but the Son abides forever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”  

There is no cause for fear or trepidation, intimidation, or dismay. Fight for your soul, your children, your family, and friends. Press toward the mark and the prize. Lay hold on the promises of God for your life. Endure and persist! Be importunate, without apology, though you may be perceived as a little pushy or stubborn, we are armed with all the evidence we need to win our case, no matter how big or small, or how annoying it may seem to others. Remember, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”!