WATCHING A SCREAMING CHILD
THEME: GOD’S SACRFICIAL LOVE IS BEYOND UNDERSTANDING.
Most parents are proud of their children. Recently, Charity was on a trip with Gabrielle to West Virginia. On the trip Gabrielle said Apple. Charity called me immediately. You may not think that saying apple is a big deal. But it was to me. The reason this was important to me was because of my background. Growing up I had a speech impediment. During elementary school I had to visit with a speech therapist on a regular basis. I struggled with numerous words, but apple was the most difficult for me to say. I just could not get the word off of my tongue. So when Gabrielle said apple at such a young age I was completely impressed and proud. I was extremely worried that Gabrielle would suffer from speech problems that I had to overcome. My heart overflowed with pride as my little daughter surpassed her dad in life.
Most parents are extremely proud of their children. Any time a child succeeds in life is a moment of rejoicing. When your girl wins an award, scores the winning point, or just does her best and puts her mind to an activity we fill up with pride. Any father or mother who has watched their little boy throw a pass, catch a ball, win an award, or works hard in accomplishing goals is overjoyed. It is hard to imagine a father or mother not reaping the benefits of watching a child succeed in life. Watching a child grow up and develop is truly a pleasure in life.
In the beginning of the Gospel Luke and Matthew tell the story of the birth of Christ. God decides to send his only Son to earth to save it. In the scene we can picture Mary holding baby Jesus in her arms. She must be extremely proud of her child. God has chosen her from all the women in the world to be the mother of his son. This must be a overwhelming time in her life. She is holding the child of God. Mary must have felt tremendous pride for his boy. This is the boy that will save the world. This is the promised child of Israel. The nation has been watching for this child for hundreds of years. In this time there was a great expectation that the Messiah would be coming soon. People were watching for him. And Mary now knows he is here. I am sure every new mother holds her first child with a sense of pride beyond my ability to describe it. But I wonder if it was any different for the mother of the son of God.
Even though Mary surely was ready to burst with pride for her new son, there was another person even prouder. You might be thinking that it was Joseph. I am sure he is also proud, but there is another father even happier. This father is God. One cannot even imagine the pride in God himself over his son. God must be looking down on that Christmas Eve with a huge smile on his face. There his son is on earth in the form of a man. There was his boy.
God had to be watching his son grow up like his creation. Every father reaps the rewards of watching his kids develop. The Bible says that Jesus increased in status, wisdom, and knowledge, and favor with man. Jesus was progressing like every human does. We get a clear understanding of God’s pride in his Son at Jesus’ baptism. Look at the scene. “Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" But Jesus answering said to him, "Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he permitted Him. And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:13-17).
In fact God is so pleased with his Son that he announces it to the whole world. He wants everyone to know that this is his boy. That he is pleased with his development and upbringing. Jesus has impressed the father as he grew to maturity. Now Jesus is ready to enter his public ministry.
God was not any different from any other parent who loves their child. Recently, The Duren’s and I were traveling together to attend a visitation in Florence. We were having a great time talking about various topics. Well one of the topics was on Jacob a grandchild. Urma was telling me about some of the talented adventures of Jacob. Now Jacob is a cute and talented young man, but I could not help but think a selfish thought. It flashed in my head “Wait, we only have limited time together here, and I feel we should be talking about Gabrielle.” Everyone wants to brag on the children or grandchildren. The common joke of grandparents is correct. The best use of time is on your own grandchildren. God was not different. He truly loved his son.
You know that God had moments of pleasing satisfaction throughout Jesus’ years on earth. You know that when Jesus cleansed the temple from religious hypocrisy God was proud. It took courage and strength to stand up for what is right. When Jesus turned over the tables of people trying to cash in on God’s vineyard, God was cheering him on the whole time.
The time that the Jewish leaders brought out the woman caught in adultery and Jesus stood firm. God had to be pleased. The leaders were trying to cause Jesus to pick between two options. One was to uphold the law and command the adulterous woman to be stoned. This would have resulted in his arrest by the Romans because the Jews in Palestine did not have the authority for this command. But the other option was to free her and forsake the letter of the Law of Moses. But instead of judging her or freeing her, he appeals to mercy. He stoops down and writes on the sand. No one knows what the markings in the sand were. But he rises again and makes a statement. He say “He without sin, you be the first to cast a stone.” Now he places the burden of decision in the leader’s hands. God must have been in heaven watching this situation playing out in full joy. Watching his son out think the Jewish leaders must have been satisfying. I am sure God was in the sky saying “That’s my son, that’s my son.”
Everything Jesus did on earth God was watching. Jesus was always in communication with the Father through prayer. God watched his son grow up on earth. God was there through all the moments of living. But as Jesus performed so well, made God so happy, there must have been sadness in the Father’s heart. Through all the joy that Jesus gave the father there was this terrible thought in the back of God’s head. I am going to have to watch everything. I am going to have to see everything.
God was there when Jesus went to the Garden to pray. Jesus knew his time was up. His death was near. God knew this too. He watched his son in agony as he prayed. Blood and sweat falling into his eyes, surely God was seeking another plan to secure the salvation of man. But there was none. His son was going to have to die for the sins of the world.
God was there through the last six hours of his life. He had to watch the people spit, hit, and mock his son. God was there to watch his son be brutally beaten to the point of death. His flesh would be completely ripped from his body. God was there to see his son whipped and scourged with leather containing pieces of metal and sharp bones. God was there to witness his son tortured by his own creation. God was there to see his children that he loved beat his son that he loved. God was there to see his son taste his own blood. God watched as his muscles tore and ripped. God was there to see his boy. “but after having Jesus scourged, he delivered Him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. And they stripped Him, and put a scarlet robe on Him. And after weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they kneeled down before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. And after they had mocked Him, they took His robe off and put His garments on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him” (Matt. 27:26-31).
God was there to watch this pain of his son before his eyes. I remember watching a football game next to a mother whose son was playing. He was a great player but on this particular play after everyone stood up to line up again on the line he was remaining on the ground not moving. His mother stood up with a face a fight. What has happened I am sure she wondered? There her boy was, the boy she loved and raised laying on the football field not moving. Finally, I am sure it seemed like an eternity to the mother her son got up and walked off the field. Then she turned to me and stated “It took me everything I had not to run down to that field and hold my son.”
I am sure God felt the same way. How could he have stay in heaven? How could he watch his creation kill his son? How could he allow this to happen to his boy? Any parent would have been down on the playing field fighting of the mockers. Any father would have plowed through the crowd to rescue their boy. But God stayed in heaven. God watched as his son was in pain. He watched as people gambled over his garments. God watched as man nailed his son to a cross. God watched as his boy died.
Personally, I do not know how he did it. God could have whipped out every man in a moment. He could have rescued his son. He could have guarded him. Every parent wants to protect their children. Every father will fight for his kids.
The movie “A Time to Kill” brings to point home. The movie is about racialism in the south. The plot is about two white men that brutally beat and rape a little girl. The little girl will be scared forever and never be able to have children because of these two animals. There is a trial but the white men are released. But as the men are leaving the court case, the character played by Samuel L. Jackson attempts to kill the men. There is a follow court case. In the movie the black man whose daughter was attached states these words. “I am haunted every night in my dreams. All I can do is hear my little girl crying out ‘Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, help me, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, help me as these two men savagely attack my little girl. And I cannot get to her to save her. I cannot help her.”
Jesus cries out “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?" (Mat. 27:46). But God could come. But why did he not? “"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him (John 3:16-17).
