GOING into a restaurant one day where I was accustomed to take my mid-day luncheon, I found the owner, an old lady, in a dreadful state of excitement. She and her husband were usually so quiet and peaceful, that her countenance surprised me very much.
She had never spoken any unnecessary words until then: When she would receive the order for a lunch, she would attend to it quietly, receive the money with a “Thank you,” in German, and that was all.
But that day, no sooner had I opened the door, than she began, saying: “Do you know how shamefully they have treated our son? A boy,” she went on, “who never did harm to anybody Well, perhaps you don’t know about him, for he is always in-doors, or in the garden. He is 18 years of age, and not right in his mind, but he is our baby, the only one we have—all we have—and just because he escaped out of our sight for a little while on the street, and said something that he should not have said, the neighbors had him arrested, and before we knew anything about it, he was taken to the police station, and it took us two days to obtain his release. Now, we are going to sell this place, and leave this city and go where we can live in peace. There is nothing here but injustice and wrong!”
Dear children, her story, brought to my mind another Son who has been unjustly and shamefully treated. Do you know who He is? Jesus, the Son of God, who not only never did harm to anyone, but was always doing good to everyone. Wicked men took Him and shamefully nailed Him to a cross. In His sorrow He was alone. No fond mother was able to get Him free, and His own people chose to set a robber free, rather than Him, and they condemned Him to be crucified.
And now, dear children, do you think that God is angry with His Son’s enemies, as the father and mother were with their son’s persecutors? No, for God’s heart is different than man’s heart. Man thinks of vengeance, but God is now showing mercy and He saves all who come unto Him by His Son, Jesus Christ.
God’s message is that remission of sins should be preached in Jesus’ name beginning at Jerusalem (just the place where they murdered Him), and He also says that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
ML 04/26/1903