“There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:38-43
Imagine what your life would be like today If your grandparents, parents, siblings, friends and pastor told you over and over that Christ is dead; you would eventually give up hope. The attached photo was taken inside a vodou temple and a vodou priestess is kneeling before the altar on which has been placed a bottle of Haitian Rhum, a bottle of animal blood and a jar of bone fragments and there is a collection bowl is down in front. Possibly the most dramatic part of this photo to me is just behind the altar, where a cross is buried into the floor and this is to signify that Jesus is still buried in the tomb and has been there since he died. This lie has been taught for generations and generations.
I found this one element of the photo to be really interesting as just a week ago on Sunday, my pastor said that there are ‘scholars’ who say that our Savior didn’t die on a cross, but rather a stake; a “torture stake”. What…no cross? All that my grandparents, parents, parochial teachers and pastor Heidemann had told me was that Jesus died on a cross. Pastor went on to say that the ‘scholars’ suggest that the Roman’s crucified Jesus on just the vertical part of the cross; the stipes. The ‘scholars’ insist that there was no horizontal part which is called the patibulum. It appears that neither this vodou woman or the witch doctor didn’t get that news flash from the ‘scholars’ and neither did the disciples, or Dr. Martin Luther for that matter as Luther instructs that when we pray, we make the sign of the cross and not the sign of the stipes…or the torture stake. Satan, the perfector of all lies, will take every chance he has to mess with the truth.
When visiting schools with any of the 160 Trinity/HOPE feeding programs in Haiti, your North American mind struggles to fully understand what many of the children are being confronted with at home. The story at home is that Jesus is dead, still in the tomb and at school the news “He is risen from the dead” is proclaimed. At home there is fear, emptiness and despair and at school there is hope, food and happiness that we have a Risen Savior who is Christ the Lord.
Thank you for helping to prepare the children attending Christian schools in Haiti. The message Christ gave us in Luke “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” is such an immense comfort to hear in this world of lies. A song by the Dove’s called ‘If that isn’t love’ was playing on my Internet radio today and its lyrics are a wonderful way to close today.
“He left the splendor of heaven knowing His destiny was the lonely hill of Golgotha there to lay down His life for me. And if that isn't love then the ocean is dry; there's no stars in the sky and the little sparrows can't fly. Yeah if that isn't love then heaven's a myth. There's no feeling like this if that isn't love. Even in death He remembered the thief hanging by His side then he spoke of love and compassion and He took him to paradise. And if that isn't love then the ocean is dry; there's no stars in the sky and the little sparrows can't fly. Yeah if that isn't love then heaven's a myth there's no feeling like this if that isn't love.”
Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you…Jay