The Johnny Depp Defamation trial has been fascinating, but also heartbreaking to watch. It has been made crystal clear to the world that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s marriage was quite unhealthy, abusive and beyond repair. 

In all the ins and outs of this trial, there are several things that everyone can learn.  

1. Abuse Is The Opposite of Love

Amber said on more than one occasion that she loved Johnny. The evidence has shown quite the opposite. In the audiotapes, she screamed insults at him, and assaulted and degraded him. This is not love. This is abuse. 

1 Corinthians 13:4-7, a very well known passage and is often quoted in Christian weddings, defines the qualities of love: 

“Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”(NASB)

According to Amber and the world, love is based on feelings and can only be felt when everything is good. This is simply not true. Love is a choice and it involves commitment, regardless of how you feel. The depth of your love and commitment to your relationships is often tested through challenges, disagreements and tough situations. Love doesn’t just happen. It takes a lot of effort and sacrifice. Love is not “give and take”, it is “give and give.” 

We are not just to love people who we like. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and to pray for those who mistreat us (Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:28), to treat others the way we’d like to be treated (Matthew 7:12), and to do good and expect nothing in return (Luke 6:35a). This is something that our culture has failed at doing big time. 

2. You can’t fix yourself

Johnny Depp tried multiple times to get clean, but when life became stressful, he went right back to it.  

We see people get help and go through rehabilitation. There are fantastic rehab testimonies out there, so I am not diminishing them at all. But the reality is that the person is still considered a recovering X (alcoholic, drug addict, etc). 

They may not be going to alcohol, drugs or other substances, but they have to constantly monitor themselves. This doesn’t sound like they have completely overcome their addiction, does it? 

Without Christ, no one can really be changed or transformed on the inside. We can do many good works and help people, but that alone does not save us or grant us eternal life (Ephesians 2:8-10). 

Moses’ life is a perfect example of a life transformed. He was full of fear, anxiety and had a speech impediment. He fled Egypt for 40 years because he killed an Egyptian officer who was mistreating a Jewish slave. 

When God revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:2), this is when Moses’ life began to change. Was it smooth sailing? Absolutely not. He made so many excuses to God as to why he shouldn’t be chosen, but eventually, he surrendered and chose to go God’s way. 

Because Moses chose God, he became a completely different person and for the better. Through the Lord, Moses lead Israel out of Egypt, established the Mosiac Law (a structure to society that was morally superior to the surrounding nations), was given the 10 Commandments, and laid the foundations for entering the Promised Land (Exodus 3-Deuteronomy 34). 

3. You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have

Both Johnny and Amber carry pains from the past that have not been dealt with. By not dealing with their baggage before they got married, they couldn’t really love, help, encourage, strengthen or comfort each other the way they needed to. They couldn’t love each other like the Word of God teaches us to. 

Dealing with past hurts is a very long and painful journey. It requires us to take several actions that we normally don’t think would help, but they really do. 

• Forgive those who have wronged us (Ephesians 4:32)
• Be humble enough to admit when we were wrong or when our behaviour was unacceptable (1 Peter 5:5; 2 Chronicles 7:14)
• Discipline ourselves to respond opposite to what would be natural (Matthew 5:38-42)
• Focus our minds and hearts on Christ (Romans 12:2; 1 Peter 1:13; 2 Corinthians 10:5)

This is a lot of work and can take years to do well. We will never do them perfectly, but we will be in a healthier place mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We will be more able to think of others before ourselves (Philippians 2:3-4) and serve them much better. 

I found this in my own life. While I was going through counselling, I chose to focus on serving others by volunteering to be part of the welcome team at my church. I found I had so much joy knowing that someone else was blessed and felt welcomed. 

Thinking and serving others doesn’t mean that you don’t take care of yourself or that you’re a doormat. It is an opportunity to share something that you have that someone needs, whether it’s encouragement, advice or simply to be acknowledged.  

4. Intense Feelings Cloud Your Judgement

Both Johnny and Amber claimed that their relationship was “intense”, full of passion and excitement in the beginning and occasionally throughout. 

Bursts of anger and extreme rage were major throughout the trial. There were instances when both Johnny and Amber were extremely angry and said some pretty vile stuff. There were times when Johnny tried to escape the conflict because he knew it was going to escalate into violence. Unfortunately, Amber chased after him and things transpired. 

Scripture has a lot to say about anger. For instance: 

• Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end (Proverbs 29:11)
• A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offence. (Proverbs 19:11, NIV)
• Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. (Proverbs 37:8, NLT)
• A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1) 
• Arrogant people inflame a city, But wise people turn away anger (Proverbs 29:8)
• Do not be eager in your spirit to be angry, For anger resides in the heart of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:9) 

Ephesians 4:26-31 is an excellent and clear guideline on how to properly deal with it:  

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

5. Lies Will Eventually Be Brought To The Light

The cross-examinations between Amber and Camille Vasquez, one of Johnny Depp’s lawyers, were intense but exposed several lies in Amber’s testimony. 

Amber was shown pictures of herself at events where she said that the night before she had a swollen nose and bruises on her face. The pictures clearly showed that this was a blatant lie, as no bruising or swelling was found. She was confronted with the truth: She had not been beaten up by Johnny Depp.

This whole trial is a clear example of the principle of how lies will eventually be exposed and what you do in private will eventually come to the light. 

Luke 12:2-3 says: “The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!”

Even though Amber’s testimony had been exposed, she continued to lie, deny the facts she was presented and became extremely hostile, and rude, spoke over Camille and spoke when she was not asked a question. It would be better if she told the truth. She was under oath after all. 

Being honest about what you have done will earn you more respect from others than if you lie to them. This has been true for Johnny Depp. For the most part, he didn’t downplay the words that he said (which at times were quite rude, insulting and vile), nor his behaviour (he admitted to taking drugs and being quite drunk).  

Having rejected Jesus Christ, Johnny and Amber have decided to live their own lives and live by their own standards. This has not played out well for them, as this trial has clearly shown. 

No matter the outcome, the bottom line is this: We are all flawed human beings in need of a Saviour who transforms lives, offers a place of safety, teaches us how to live Godly lives and secures our eternal life. That Saviour is Jesus Christ.

“Life without God no matter how seemingly valuable leads to emptiness.”

Author Unknown