Three boys were playing beside a country road outside a large town in Australia. Henry McCartney was the oldest of these three boys and was their leader. As they were playing, a crippled man on crutches came hobbling down the road. His arms and legs were twisted out of shape. His disease of rheumatism was so bad that he could not walk without the aid of the crutches. “Let’s have some fun,” suggested Henry to his friends as the crippled man came near.
The three boys, led by Henry, laughed at the crippled man and imitated the way he walked. The man said nothing, but continued on his way down the road. The boys turned to other games and soon foot about the crippled man.
As dinner time approached, each of the boys headed for home. Henry ran home and up the back steps into the kitchen. “Mother, where are you?” he called.
“In the living room,” answered his mother.
Henry burst into the living room (as only little boys can do) asking, “When do we eat? I’m....” And then he stopped! Henry’s mouth dropped open and his eyes stared—because there sat his mother talking to the crippled man that Henry had made fun of just an hour before.
“Well, Henry,” said his mother, “don’t act like that. Have you forgotten your manners? Come and say hello to Mr. Stevens.”
Henry shuffled over to Mr. Stevens. He couldn’t even look at him, because he was so embarrassed.
“Yes come here, my boy,” Mr. Stevens said as he put his hand on his shoulder and looked right at him. “God bless you, Henry, my boy. I hope that you grow up to be a true and faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Speak well of your Saviour all the time. God bless you, Henry.”
Then the twisted, swollen hand was lifted off Henry’s shoulder. Mr. Stevens picked up his crutches and slowly got to his feet. He shook hands with Henry’s mother, patted Henry on the head and slowly hobbled toward the door. “I must be going now,” he said, looking back at Henry. “Remember your Saviour, Henry,” were his last words before he went out the door.
As soon as the front door was closed, questions exploded from Henry! “Mother, who was that? Where did he come from? Why is he crippled? Why was he here?”
“Why, Henry, I thought you knew Mr. Stevens. I’ve told you the story many times. Don’t you remember? It happened back when you were about four years old. You were playing near the river chasing a butterfly. You chased it until it got to the edge of the river. Then as it settled on a clump of reeds, you reached for it, slipped and fell headfirst into the river. Mr. Stevens was passing by just then. He wasn’t crippled then, and he jumped right into the water to rescue you. He saved your life, Henry. He is crippled now because he saved you. He got very sick right after that, and that’s why he is on crutches. That’s what he did for you, Henry. He saved your life and ruined his own.”
And now it was Mother’s turn to listen as Henry broke into tears. “Oh, Mother! Today I was unkind and made fun of Mr. Stevens. Do you think he will forgive me?”
Then Henry told his mother the whole awful story. He told her what they had done to Mr. Stevens earlier that day. His mother listened and then, using what had happened, showed Henry that he was a sinner and needed God’s forgiveness, too. Henry had heard about the love of the Lord Jesus many times before. But this unhappy experience helped him to understand the love of the Lord Jesus and what He has done for sinners like him. Soon after, Henry asked the Lord Jesus to be his Saviour. And the rest of his life he “spoke well of his Saviour all the time.”
Does Henry’s experience remind you of how you are treating the Lord Jesus Christ? He did more than just risk His life for you. He died on the cross for you and suffered for your sins, so that you can be rescued from an everlasting death. But are you mocking Him and making fun of Him? If you are, what you are doing is far more serious than what Henry did, because you are sinning against God. God loves you and wants to save you from your sins. All you have to do is believe that God loves you and that He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for your sins.
ML-11/22/1981