You are standing there, waiting for the jury to give their verdict.You have been anticipating for this moment for a while now. Your father, who is the plaintiff, is trying to bring justice on a few bad men. They stole from him, lied to him, and spread false rumors about him. To make matters worse, they have been threatening your family for the better part of a year.
As you bask in what is to be a sure win, the foreman addresses the judge ...
"Your honor, we the jury find the defendants ..... guilty as charged."
You raise your arms in celebration, excited that justice has finally been served. Just as you move to hug your father, the judge hammers his gavel onto his bench.
"Order in the court! Order in the court!"
You pause, mid-hug, and listen gleefully for the punishment to be handed out to these evil people.
"The defendants have been found guilty. As punishment, you must carry this hundred-pound weight across six football fields ... after which you will be executed."
You realize with great shock and horror that the judge was pointing at you while handing down this sentence. But that can't be right, can it? After all, you aren't the guilty one - they are. You have not done anything wrong - they did. Why would an innocent person have to carry out the punishment for those that are guilty?
Just as you start to question the judge - to ask him how this could possibly be fair - one of the guards comes over and slugs you in the stomach. As you are doubled over, another guard hits you across the back.
As they drag you out of the courtroom, you catch a glimpse of the three guilty men. They are smiling, packing up their things, and ready to return to their daily lives.
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For those of you that have been reading since last Lent (like this post and this post), you know I like to try to put perspective around what Jesus did for us. Especially during this time of year. It's my way of making sure I spend time thinking about what He went through, so that they never become just words on a page.
I hope you are all having a spiritual Lent.
God Bless.
9 comments:
Your perspective is a perspective that really helps one with meditation :)
Thank you.
Very interesting way to bring Jesus' suffering into our everyday world!
...Not becoming just words on a page. Very vivid comparison. It made me realize how often this is exactly what my sins do to Jesus.
Thank you, as Anne said, for bringing Jesus' suffering into the everyday.
Thanks too for your visit on my blog earlier~glad you liked the reflection.
Thank you for putting this into a modern context. Very thought provoking and inspiring.
God bless you.
I am always very unsettled by the horror and injustice Jesus went through for all of us. It's very difficult for me to come to terms with. I look at the world and wonder have we have learned anything? I think about how Jesus must feel when he sees all of the injustice that still prevails here in our world. Very good post as usual Michael. God bless you.
Carol
Ditto to all the comments, I'd don't think I've ever heard it put this way, Michael. I don't know how you get these inspirations (well, yeah, I guess I can ... guess). lol - He's still hanging around, still with us, and man if that's not good to know. I think there's some joy in that thought.
Bless you.
Very realistic take on the suffering of Christ. You really brought it together for our modern times. Thank you
Thank you for you comments everyone! God bless you!
These are great meditations for Lent. Thanks for the new angle, it sent a shock through my system as it was so straight on target but through modern eyes.
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