Through Her Eyes

Five-year-old Daniela's face twists in horror as I translate how the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross.

This is the first time she has ever heard this before.

She turns her innocent eyes to mine and says she can't believe it.  Nails right through His wrists?  She shakes her head adamantly and says, "No, no, no!".  Pain fills her eyes.  She is so young, but she is imagining His anguish.

I gently nod my head and speak to her in Spanish, taking the time to point on my own wrists where the nails would've been driven in.  She just shakes her head and wants to know what happened next.  It's all so new to her and she still is in awe of it.  In awe of what He did.  I continue translating with Daniela interrupting me many times to verify what I'm saying.  She's amazed, pure and simple.

That moment still stays with me.

To many of us, the Gospel is "old news", something we could recite backwards in our sleep.  We know it.  We have seen it in pictures and videos.  We sing about it on Easter Sunday and celebrate it, too.  We talk about it at church, listen to sermons on it, read books about it.  And we know it is important.

Yes, but perhaps we have forgotten how important and life-changing it really is.

But seeing it again through little Daniela's eyes was different.  She cried out, "No, no, no!" and I know what she means - that it would be painful and horrifying to be nailed to a cross...and why would they do that to someone innocent?

Yet my heart also calls out, "Yes, yes, yes!"

Because Jesus did get nailed to the cross.  He took my punishment - what I deserved because of my filthy sins.  He did that and rose again so that I can now be forgiven and right with God.  That's the Gospel...  That's why believers around the world are tortured and killed.  That is why we live.

And as I see what Jesus has done for me and what He continues to do, I marvel anew at it.

So this week, I encourage you to take some time to see the Gospel again in a new light.  Let it sink in deep.  Let the Scriptures sink in and take root.  Jesus did it for you.  Let the Gospel change your heart, your thoughts, your actions, your life.  See it through little Daniela's eyes with her "No, no, no!" echoing.  But then see how you needed Him, how I needed Him.  How we still do!  See how "Yes, yes, yes!" is part of it, too.  Because without Jesus, we would have no hope, no purpose, no meaning.

But with Jesus?  We have all those things - and more!

-- re-posted from May 2013