God recently allowed
me to see Jesus through the eyes of someone seeing Him for the first time.
Having the advantage of knowing how the story ends, we can easily forget the
cost of our redemption and the love of our Savior. Every year we attend a local
church pageant at Christmas time, which tells the story of Jesus from His birth
through His resurrection. It is a spectacular event, with live animals and
hundreds of cast members in realistic costumes. The magi enter the huge
auditorium on llamas from the rear, descending the steps in pomp and majesty.
Roman soldiers look huge and menacing in their costumes and make-up.
Of all the years we have attended, one stands out indelibly in my heart… It was
the year we took our then three-year-old granddaughter, Bailey, who loves
Jesus. She was mesmerized throughout the entire play, not just watching, but
involved as if she were a player. She watches as Joseph and Mary travel to the
Inn and is thrilled when she sees the baby Jesus in His mother's arms. When
Jesus, on a young donkey, descends the steps from the back of the auditorium,
depicting His triumphal entry into
Jerusalem, Bailey was ecstatic. As
he neared our aisle, Bailey began jumping up and down, screaming, "Jesus,
Jesus! There's Jesus!" Not just saying the words but exclaiming them with
every fibre of her being. She alternated between screaming his name and hugging
us. "It's Jesus. Look!" I thought she might actually pass out. Tears
filled my eyes as I looked at Jesus through the eyes of a child in love with
Him, seeing Him for the first time. How like the blind beggar screaming out in
reckless abandon, "Jesus, Jesus!” afraid he might miss Him, not caring
what others thought. (Mark 10:46-52) This was so much fun.
Then came the arrest scene. On stage, the soldiers shoved and slapped Jesus as
they moved Him from the Garden of Gethsemane to Pilate. Bailey responded as if
she were in the crowd of women, with terror and anger. "Stop it!" she
screamed. "Bad soldiers, stop it!" As I watched her reaction, I
wished we had talked to her before the play. "Bailey it's OK. They are just pretending." "They are hurting Jesus! Stop it!"
She stood in her seat reacting to each and every move. People around us at
first smiled at her reaction, thinking "How cute!” Then they quit smiling
and began watching her watch Him. In a most powerful scene, the soldiers lead
Jesus carrying the cross down the steps of the auditorium from the back… They
were yelling, whipping, and cursing at Jesus, who was bloodied and beaten.
Bailey was now hysterical. "Stop it! Soldiers! Stop it," she
screamed. She must have been wondering why all these people did nothing. She
then began to cry instead of scream. "Jesus, Oh, Jesus!" People all
around us began to weep as we all watch this devoted little disciple see her
Jesus beaten and killed as those first century disciples had.
Going back and forth between her mother's lap and mine for comfort, she was
distraught. I kept saying, "Bailey, it's OK. Jesus is going to be OK.
These are just people pretending to be soldiers. She looked at me like I was
crazy. In my lap, we talked through the cross and burial. "Watch, Bailey,
watch for Jesus!"
The tomb began to tremble and lightening flashed as the stone rolled away. A
super bowl touchdown cheer couldn't come close to matching this little one's
reaction to the resurrection. "Jesus! He's OK. Mommy, it's Jesus!" I
prayed that she wasn't going to be traumatized by this event, but that she
would remember it. I shall never forget it. I shall never forget seeing Jesus’
suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection through the eyes of an innocent child. Following the pageant the actors all assembled in the foyer to be greeted by
the audience. As we passed by some of the soldiers Bailey screamed out,
"Bad soldier, don't you hurt Jesus." The actor who portrayed Jesus
was some distance away surrounded by well-wishers and friends. Bailey broke
away from us and ran toward him, wrapping herself around his legs, holding on
for dear life. He hugged her and said, "Jesus loves you." He patted
her to go away. She wouldn't let go. She kept clinging to Him, laughing and
calling His name. She wasn't about to let go of her Jesus.
I think God in heaven stopped whatever was going on that day and made all the
angels watch Bailey. "Now, look there! You see what I meant when I
said, ’Of such is the kingdom of heaven?'"
“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto
me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God .” - Luke 18:16
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