Read the following Scriptures: 3 Nephi 11:37-38;
Matthew 18:3; Doctrine and Covenants 29:47 - they similarly say the same thing:
"For behold he (Jesus Christ) judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the
infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to
their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little
children."
Below is the story of Bailey's Jesus - can we be found
with such understanding and love?
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 makeup.
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.
Later 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 fiber 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. 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," but she shouted "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.
Now 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!" " 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 what ever was going on that day and made all the
angels watch Bailey. "Now, look
there! You see what I meant when I said; Matthew 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be
converted, and become as little children , ye shall not enter into
the kingdom of heaven.
"A Child
Knows"
cji
12/24/13
Every child knows
truth
for them the veil
is thin
even transparent
found
knowing who they
are
knowing the Father
well
therefore knowing
the Son
thus Christmas
feeling
the Saviors life
to touch
involved
intimately always
teaching us how to
be
even as they are
known
loving and thus
obedient
preparing for the
eternities
as commanded to be
and dying not but
to live
eternal and
forever
with the Father
and Son!
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