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2008 Soap Box Archives What Would I Have Done? I was reading the book of Matthew this morning, the Lord's Last Supper and the time He spent in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus knowing that the time of His terrible suffering was at hand was in anguish of soul and spirit. One disciple had already forsaken Him and sold Him out for thirty pieces of silver and He knew that the others would soon run a way too. Even Peter would deny even knowing him not once but three times before the rooster crowed the next morning. He was alone on this Earth with not even one person willing to stand up for him. The Sanhedrin wanted him dead. Not because of anything He had done but because He called attention to their self-righteous hypocrisy and the Jews were beginning to follow Him. He said they appeared outwardly righteous but inside they were full of corruption so they plotted and connived and managed to have Jesus arrested and put to death on a Roman cross. When I was a child and I was read the story of Jesus on the Via Della Rosa carrying that cross and being whipped and abused I used to think if I had been there I would have run out and fought the soldiers, I would have stood up for Jesus. If I had actually been there, actually had to face down the Roman soldiers with their swords and spears, actually seen the overpowering forces aligned against Him would I have really ran out and challenged these strong cruel men or would I have done what Peter and the other disciples did and run away? Jesus could have called down enough angel power to destroy the entire Roman Empire in a split second, but He didn't, and herein lies the proof of God's love for us. Instead of calling forth the Heavenly hosts, He went to the cross, taking with Him all the sins of the world and even while He hung there in horrible agony of body and spirit He asked His father to forgive the ones who were causing Him such pain. That's love, unconditional love, the kind that says, "No matter what you do I will not stop loving you, I will forgive." Nowadays there is no crucifixion detail pushing Jesus down the street with a cross on His shoulders, there is no Sanhedrin calling for his death, but Jesus is still being persecuted every day, by the A.C.L.U. and other organizations, by an apostate clergy who deny His divinity and by ordinary Christians like us who only acknowledge Him when it's convenient. There
is much evil afoot in the world, many organized religions Some claim Jesus was a great prophet and he was that, the greatest prophet to ever walk on the earth, but He was also the only begotten Son of God and if you believe anything less than that, and I mean the whole thing, the virgin birth, the death and resurrection and the blood bought atonement for sin, you are not a Christian, because that's what being a Christian is. Although I was not alive when Jesus was crucified and never got the chance to run out and face the spears of the Roman soldiers, there are still plenty of opportunities to stand up for Jesus. God grant me the courage to never deny Him. Pray for our troops. What do you think? God Bless America Charlie Daniels February 4, 2008
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