THROUGH BAILEY'S EYES
Every year we attend a local church pageant that 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 from the rear of the huge auditorium, on Lamas,
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 holds very special
memories for
me. It was the year we took our then three-year-old
granddaughter, Bailey,
for the first time. She was mesmerized throughout the
entire play. She was
not just watching, but she was involved as if she were a
participant.
She watched as Joseph and Mary traveled to the Inn , and she
was
thrilled when she saw the baby Jesus in His mother's
arms. When Jesus, on a
young donkey, descended the steps from the back of the
auditorium (depicting
His triumphal entry into Jerusalem ) Bailey was ecstatic. As
he neared our
aisle, Bailey began to jump up and down. She screamed,
'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!' Tears filled
my eyes as I looked at Jesus
through the eyes of a child who was so in love with Him
and seeing Him for the
first time. How like the blind beggar who screamed out in
reckless abandon,
'Jesus, Jesus!'...afraid he might miss Him...not
caring what others
thought. (Mark 10:46-52)
Then came the arrest scene. On stage, the soldiers shoved
and slapped Jesus as they moved Him from the Garden of
Gethsemane to appear before Pilate. Bailey responded,
with terror and anger, as if she were in the crowd
of women. 'Stop it!' she screamed. 'Bad soldiers. Stop it!'
As I watched her reaction, I suddenly wished we had talked to
her before the play. I kept telling her, 'Bailey, it's okay.
They are just pretending.' However, her response was, '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. Then they quit
smiling and began to watch her, as she watched 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 appeared to be bloodied
and beaten. Bailey was now hysterical. 'Stop it! Soldiers, stop it!'
she screamed.
In her young mind she must have been wondering why so many people all
around her did nothing to help. She then began to cry instead of scream.
'Jesus, oh, Jesus,' she said.
People all around us began to weep as we all
watched this devoted little disciple sees her Jesus beaten and killed,
as those first century disciples had seen. Going back and forth between
her mother's lap and mine, for comfort, she was distraught. I kept saying,
'Bailey, it's okay. Jesus is going to be okay. These are just people
pretending to be soldiers.
She looked at me like I was crazy. As she sat in my lap,
we talked through
the cross and burial. 'Watch, Bailey, watch for
Jesus!' The tomb began to
tremble, and lightning flashed, as the stone rolled away. A
Super Bowl
touchdown cheer could not come close to matching this
little one's
reaction to the resurrection. 'Jesus! He's okay.
Mommy, it's Jesus!'
I prayed that she was not 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
such a young child.
Following the pageant, all of the actors 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 and holding on for dear life. He hugged her and said,
'Jesus loves you.'
She would not let go. She kept clinging to Him, laughing
and calling His
name. She was not about to let go of her Jesus.
I like to think that God in heaven stopped whatever was
going on that
day, and asked all of the angels to watch Bailey. Perhaps
He even said,
'Now, look there! You see what I meant when I said,
'Of such is the kingdom of heaven?''
Bailey's reaction should be our reaction every single
day of our lives.
When we think of Him...who He is...what He did for
us...what He offers to us...how can we do anything less
than worship Him?
|
-To SHANGRALA-
