Looking Unto the Cross..... A devotional for day 38 of LENT Maundy Thursday, April 20

Sorry, your browser doesn't support Java(tm). I recently read a book called Forgiving the Dead Man Walking, written by Debbie Morris. In this book Debbie recounts how, at the age of sixteen, two escaped prisoners, Robert Willie and Joe Vaccaro kidnapped her and her boyfriend at gunpoint. Although the physical wounds from this terrifying ordeal were great, Debbie's book concentrates on the deep-scarring emotional wounds. She tells of how she concentrated on seeking justice until finally her two captors were caught and sentenced, one to life imprisonment and one to execution. Debbie felt that the execution would provide closure and that after her abductors had paid the price she would feel the peace she was desperately seeking. The execution came and went, but Debbie still did not find peace through the act of justice. As time passed on, various events in Debbie's life led her to church. There she found God's forgiveness, and realized that she herself needed to do the unthinkable, to forgive Robert and Joe. Against every 'human' instinct, she was able to forgive those who had caused her the most pain in her life. In this book Debbie tells how the parable in Matthew 20:1-16 had helped her reach the place of forgiveness. In this parable Jesus tells of a landowner that hired men to work in his vineyard. Some men started work in the early hours of the day, some at lunch and some only a few hours before the end of the day. When the employees were paid they were shocked to find that each was given the same wage regardless of their time spent working. The ones who had worked hard all day began to grumble and complain. But the landowner answered saying, "Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?" From this parable we see that God's idea of justice is so different from ours. God's grace extends to any of us who are willing to accept it, no matter what we've done. As I reflected back over this book and thought of this parable, I imagined the criminal who died on the cross next to Jesus. The criminal who repented only minutes before his death. The criminal who, by his own confession (Luke 23:41), was being punished justly and getting what his deeds deserved. How did Jesus reply to this man? Jesus answered him (Luke 24:43) "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." As I followed along with Debbie's battle of forgiveness for a crime she in no way deserved, a new realization came over me. I had always thought those words would be easy for Jesus to say. But then the reality hit me. At the very moment Jesus was saying those words he was paying the ultimate price so that they might be true. He was being mocked, jeered at, insulted, abandoned, not to mention the physical pain. In 'human' thinking, in 'human' logic, in 'human' justice Jesus had every right to turn his back on that criminal. "You ask for my forgiveness while I am nailed to this cross?" But Jesus didn't say that, rather he lifted his head towards heaven and cried, "It is finished". With that he hung his head and died, and the plan of complete forgiveness was accomplished. Jillian Peters Brisbane, Queensland Australia Father, Oh, that I should be able to forgive those who have caused me pain in the same manner that Jesus not only forgave, but also paid the price so that my sins could be forgiven. Amen Suggested Daily Scripture Reading [Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19] [Exod 12:1-42] [1 Cor 11:23-26] [John 13:1-17, 31b-35] Visit: 1999 Advent/Christmas Series Epiphany Series You may send e-mail comments or suggestions toYvonne Edwards. Page designed by: Yvonne Edwards Prayer by: Jillian Peters Holy Land Pictures provided by Chuck Wilkes. Background provided by Northern Dreams Copyright © 2000 NazNet All rights reserved. International copyright secured.