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| TEARS ON THE CROSS Robert H. Gilbert, Jr. August 15, 1993 |
| I have seen many different pictures of Christ hanging from the cross. Each time I look at those pictures, I find myself asking the same question, "Did he scream out in pain, as the nails were hammered into the palms of his hands and feet?" No! As the cross was raised high into the sky, did he tell them they would burn in hell? No! There was no anger in his voice, nor was there hate. Just sorrow. He said in a soft voice, “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” Could you do this? |
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| Can you imagine a nail the size of a railroad spike being hammered into the palms of your hands and feet? Would you say, I’m sorry, I will not do this wrong deed anymore? Probably so. Christ was prepared to die on the cross. He knew his destiny. Would you be prepared to die on a cross and let people throw rocks at you? Would you say, 'It’s okay. I know that you do not understand that I am doing this for you' ... or would you curse them to damnation? I would like to share with you a story that took place on a Saturday afternoon — the Saturday before Easter Sunday. I had several chores to do around the house and, being full of energy, I chose to go out to the garage and build a bookcase that my wife had been asking about for months. |
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| I got up early that Saturday morning, made some fresh coffee, watched a few cartoons, and got myself into the mood to do some work in the garage. After an hour or so of cartoons, I decided it was time to go to work. Refreshing my cup, I then headed to the garage. I sat down at my work table, sketched out the drawing of the bookcase, and figured out the dimensions and the number of screws and nails I would need. I got the lumber together, drew the lines to cut, and proceeded to saw out the pieces. |