This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.
He never did one thing wrong,
Not once said anything amiss.
They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you’re named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
In April 2014, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was giving a speech on recycling in Las Vegas, Nevada, when someone in the audience hurled a shoe in her direction. Clinton quipped, "Is that somebody throwing something at me? Is that part of Cirque de Soleil?” Then she added, “My goodness, I didn't know that solid waste management was so controversial. Thank goodness she didn't play softball like I did!"
In December 2008, during a surprise visit to Iraq, then-President George W. Bush ducked and evaded two shoes that were thrown at him by a journalist who shouted, "This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog.” With his second shoe, the journalist said, “"This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq." After he was wrestled to the ground by Secret Service agents, President Bush reacted..."So what if the guy threw a shoe at me? It is one way to gain attention. It's like going to a political rally and having people yell at you. It's a way for people to draw attention...I didn't feel the least bit threatened by it. These journalists here were very apologetic...they said 'this doesn't represent the Iraqi people"...but that's what happens in free society ...people try to draw attention to themselves...and so, I guess he was effective..." Bush later quipped, ""If you want the facts, it's a size 10 shoe that he threw."
In Arab culture, it is an insult to show someone the soles of your shoes. So throwing shoes at President Bush as an effort to insult him. The woman who hurled the shoe at Mrs. Clinton did not explain her motives...but one can assume she meant the gesture to be insulting, if not harmful.
In both instances, the “intended targets” acted with dignity...and possibly even grace and mercy toward their assailants. I’m not sure you or I would have behaved as calmly. We over-react to all sorts of things every day...from the slightest comment to an obscene gesture from an angry driver to all sorts of things that simply do not go our way. We engage our mouths without our brains...we insult...we cause others emotional pain and sadness...we mistreat people physically, mentally and emotionally – and often, we never even bat an eyelash.
Our three-year-old niece has started this thing lately of sometimes doing something she knows she shouldn’t...and when she is corrected, she looks at us with adorable big brown eyes, shrugs her shoulders and says, “Sorry!” We’re trying to teach her that “sorry” only works when you truly are sorry. But let’s be honest – you and I are no longer three years old and cute as all get-out. That “adorable innocence factor” has long since passed for us, and it’s time we took responsibility for our words and actions!
I love how this translation depicts Jesus...
- He never did one thing wrong...not once said anything amiss.
- They called him every name in the book and He said nothing back.
- He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right.
- He used His servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way.
- His wounds became your healing.
©2014 Debbie Robus
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