The road was hot and
dust hung in the air infiltrating everything that passed through it. The sun was high in the sky and Itzak had
many more miles to go. Alexander had
sent him to fetch a shipment that had come in and it would take a full day to
get there and back. He felt anxious because he had heard of a new wave of
persecutions that had moved south and far closer to their town than they had
ever been before.
A hot wind shifted the
dust in the air and forced a new smell into the area. Itzak was climbing a small hill when a larger
gust hit him in the face and he gasped, covered his mouth and pinched his nose
closed. The smell was terrible and made
him feel sick. As he crowned the top of
the hill he was stopped in his tracks.
Along both sides of the road were crosses. To each cross was hung a naked person. Most of their bodies were sagging and
appeared dead. Their bodies were
decomposing rapidly in the hot sun.
Itzak blinked several
times trying to comprehend what was before him.
The persecutions were fact, he had known that, but now the horrific reality
was before him. Soon he had to take a
breath, but did not release his nose for fear of being sick. Off in the distance he saw several Roman
soldiers on horseback moving away from the terrible scene and in the same
direction he was heading. They appeared
small and non-threatening at that distance, but the graphic scene before him betrayed
their use of power and cruelty. He
wondered how they slept at night.
A dog barked behind
him and he turned to see another man approaching. His mouth and nose were also covered. He stopped next to Itzak and groaned while looking
on the scene. The dog ran down the hill
circling the crosses and sniffing the area.
The two men stood transfixed for some time, not saying anything. Finally
Itzak spoke. “I must keep going. Shall
we go through this together?” The man
looked at Itzak, his eyes filled with tears, and nodded. He pulled out a cloth and handed it to Itzak
indicating that he should cover his mouth and nose with it. The man unrolled his sleeve and pressed his arm
up against his nose and mouth. And the
two set forward.
It was difficult not
to look upon the people hanging on those crosses. The gruesome nature of their wounds and
decomposing bodies would stay seared in Itzak’s mind. The man next to him became to mumble into his
sleeve. Itzak looked at him and
understood that he was praying as he looked upon each person they passed. Itzak thought he heard the name of Jesus, but
he was not sure. Even if this man was not
part of The Way, his action prompted Itzak to begin praying for the families of
each person they passed.
They neared the end of
the rows of crosses and were nearly through them when they heard a moan coming
from the last one on the right. The man
ran up to the cross, glanced up and down the road to see if any soldiers were
nearby and then reached up and put his hand on the man’s broken and bleeding
foot. The man on the cross was young and
he was suffering in a most horrible way.
His chest heaved as he tried to take another breath. Itzak’s companion called out to the man, “Brother,
we are here with you!”
That’s when Itzak saw
the sign nailed to the top of the cross—“Of The Way.” Itzak immediately moved next to the praying man
and placed his hand on the other foot of the one on the cross. He spoke quietly to the praying man, “I am of
The Way as well.” He heard another moan
coming from the man on the cross and looked up to see him blinking down at
them.
“Pray for me,” he
rasped out, “my brothers!”
Itzak and the man next
to him began to plead for the mercy of Jesus Christ on the young man. They neither cared who heard them nor did
they care any longer that Roman soldiers might be nearby. Suddenly the man writhed against the ropes
and nails and raised himself to take a breath.
Itzak and the praying man stood transfixed. The young man looked down at them, his eyes
blazing with joy. “He is with us!” he
cried out. Then he collapsed in
death.
The broad side of a
sword slapped Itzak in the side. “Keep
moving!” barked a Roman soldier looking down on them from his horse. “Keep
moving!” He leaned down closer and
growled, “Or it could be you next.”
Itzak and the praying
man moved away from the young man on the cross.
They were not afraid. They knew
that whatever the soldier did to them mattered little. They had a Savior who would rescue them in
death and in life.
They walked down the
road in confident silence, while the horseman plodded along behind them. After a mile or so the soldier turned down
another road and urged his horse into a gallop.
He said nothing to them as they heard him ride away. The praying man paused and took Itzak’s hand
stained with the blood of a martyr. He
looked deeply into Itzak’s eyes. “I’m
glad we came this way together, brother.
I kept walking with you until the soldier was gone, but now I must go
back to that road and return home. There
is another road to the west of us that goes wide around this one. Take that one on your way back. It will be longer, but it should be
safer. May the peace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you.”
Itzak and the man
stood silently for a moment, gripping one another’s hands. “And may the peace of Christ be with you as
well.” Itzak did not feel alone as he
walked away and his mind turned to the letter that was read again in the
service the night before.
Read Hebrews 2:5-18.
After establishing the divinity and the rank of Jesus Christ
as supreme, the writer to the Hebrews then turned to the humanity of
Jesus. And not only does the writer
establish this, but he also reminds the readers of the original position of
humanity itself. In Genesis 1 and 2 we
read of how God created humans as the highest of his creation by doing so in
his own image. He breathed the
life-breath into them making them higher than the animals and just lower than
the angels. God gave them power and
purpose—to care for the earth and to be fruitful. This indeed is a special place that humanity
has in the created order. The writer
takes the readers back to the wonderful Psalm 8 wherein that order is
celebrated.
“And yet”—these words describe the unfinished truth about
men and women. Yes, we do have
power. Yes, we do have the ability to
care for the earth. Yes, we do have the
power to do good. But, we have not yet
been crowned. Sin has blocked our way
and put our souls, and therefore also our actions, in dire peril. The outcome
of Godlessness is cruelty, selfishness, wickedness and sorrow. Just as the Roman rulers and their military
carried out very real and horrific persecutions, so also every generation of
humanity has their share of this same darkness.
“But we see Jesus . . .”
These marvelous words speak against the incredible weight of sin and for
our need to be rescued from darkness. The
writer to the Hebrews understood that if the readers knew that Jesus was far
more powerful than angels—thus the intense discussion on this matter—that they could
also know the truth and necessity of the suffering of Jesus Christ. The is the whole purpose of the Incarnation—the
coming of Jesus in the flesh as we are in the flesh. The act of Incarnation was only the beginning
of the work of Jesus Christ. Being born
of the virgin Mary in a humble stable, living like us and with us, enduring
terrible temptations, being fully connected to human loss and disappointment, and
suffering agonizing physical pain on behalf of all of us—that is the work of
Jesus Christ in total.
Jesus Christ was not imperfect and needed perfection. Our English translations fall short of what
is meant in the original Greek word which more rightly means whole,
complete. So, when Christ’s work was
made perfect, whole, complete, finished we could be rescued from the darkness
of sin. The NIV Study Bible puts it this
way: “Jesus, who is the incarnate Son of
God, is both the representative man and the one in whom man’s appointed destiny
will be fully realized . . . He identified with us in the deepest level of
anguish and so became qualified to pay the price for our sinful perfection . .
.”[i] He fully experienced what it
means to be broken and lost without being broken and lost, thereby
rescuing us from the gravest of spiritual dangers. Praise his wonderful Name!
And that is not where the rescue stopped! Not only did he rescue us out of darkness,
but he also rescued us into a new family.
His family! Children, family,
belonging, security, rest, hope, joy—all the things that come with a being part
of a healthy, vibrant family founded on God is ours. Jesus Christ is not ashamed of us when we
come to him in humility. He accepts our
confessions and fully embraces us because he knows what it is like to suffer in
the body. He is deeply empathetic to our
struggle, of which he is very familiar. And by this familiarity and empathy he
has overcome and defeated the power of the devil and death! He authored,
originated and initiated salvation for us.
He stood in the gap for us, taking the sin first onto himself so that he
could make the Way back for us. Because he rose again he could present all of
us to the Father and ask for our sins to be blotted out by his very real and
bloody suffering and death.
Jesus Christ is both merciful and faithful in what he has
done for us and what he does for us. His
rescuing efforts are pervasive, deep and thorough. He stands as a priest before God on our
behalf. His sacrifice atones for it
all. And he helps us now because he
understands our temptations. This is our Lord and Jesus Christ, high above the
angels, bending down to be with us, our brother, our friend, our helper our
great Savior!
Today is the day of Salvation. If you have not yet believed on and received
the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, I invite you to do this
today. Ask the Lord to forgive your
sins, turn and see Jesus who will rescue you from the darkness and who will
call out to you, “Brother! Sister!”
Copyright M.R. Hyde 2013
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