IN the streets of America a few decades ago, youngsters belonging to the Jewish community quite often had stones pelted at them, were fisted and shouted at, “Jesus killer!” was the taunt they heard thrown at them. “But we didn’t kill Jesus!” they wailed.
“Your ancestors did!” said the righteous Christian boys throwing one more stone at the poor Jewish boy. No, they didn’t kill Jesus. Then who did, more than two thousand yeas ago? Did the Romans kill him? When Jesus was brought for trial before Pontius Pilate the Roman Governor, he was condemned to death when Pilate washed his hands off the case. So was it Pilate?
No, Governor Pilate did not kill Jesus. Was it Judas? His own follower who betrayed his Master by planting a kiss on his cheek? After all he was paid thirty pieces of silver for his act of treachery. No, Judas did not kill Jesus. Who then was it that had Jesus crucified on a cross, beaten by soldiers and spat at by the mob?
Turn with me to the Bible, “God so loved the world that he sent his only beloved Son” says the verse in the book of St John. God himself sent Jesus down to die on the cross. “Come on Bob!” you say, “Don’t you think that’s being a bit silly, God sending his own son to die?”
But that’s the love God had for us. He had created us, so we would be in constant touch with Him all the time, but because of our wicked ways, we drifted away from Him. God was pure, we were impure. Pure and impure cannot mix together, but so great was God’s need to be in the heart of man, he decided that the punishment for our wickedness would be borne by his own son, so that He could mix with us once more.
So Jesus was killed on a cross outside the walls of Jerusalem. And today God is here, waiting to talk, walk, and stay with you and me forever. All we need to do is realize we can go straight to him, and ask Him to take over our lives, our problems, our worries: Everything!
No, it wasn’t those poor Jew boys who got pelted on the streets of New York, nor was it the Romans or Judas, it was God himself who sent his son to die many Good Friday’s ago, so He could be a constant friend and companion to you and me, always..!
