Once upon a time, there was a man guilty of a crime for which the punishment was the death penalty. Strangely enough, through no fault of his own, he was deceived and did not realize he had committed this crime. To those around him, he appeared to be a good man. He had a wife and family. He had a steady job and contributed to his community. He was respected by his co-workers and neighbors. By the definition of the society in which he lived, he was a success.
Because of the deception he was under, he did not know that some day he would have to pay the penalty for his crime. He lived his life carefree, thinking he would live a long and happy life with his wife and family.
One day, the authorities came to his door. They placed him under arrest for the crime. He objected, saying he was innocent. He told the arresting officers of all the good things he had done, about his family, his work, his charitable contributions. His wife and children pleaded for him. The neighbors rushed to give testimony of how great the man was. The officers would not hear their pleas. They took him away.
The time came when he went before the judge to give an accounting of what he had done. The decision of the man’s innocence or guilt belonged to the judge alone. The prosecuting attorney presented the case to the judge. As it turned out, the man was accused of multiple crimes. The evidence the prosecuting attorney laid before the judge was overwhelming.
This man was given opportunity to give a defense and prove his innocence. He declared that he did not know these actions were crimes. He explained to the judge he was living and acting like he thought he should. The man maintained his behavior was just like everybody else.
Witnesses came into the courtroom to give testimony of what a wonderful man he was. His faithfulness at work, his faithfulness to his family, his contributions to society.
The judge considered the evidence the prosecuting attorney presented, the testimonies and evidence of the defendant.
The judge returned the judgement upon the man, “Guilty As Charged!” It mattered not he did not know his actions were crimes against the King. It mattered not his family, co-workers and neighbors testified he was a great man. The man had broken the law of the King and was therefore sentenced to death.
When all hope was lost, a stranger entered the courtroom. The defendant turned and gazed at the man. He had never seen the stranger before.
He was a simple looking man, homely even. One look at his face and into his eyes, showed everyone who saw him he was a man of love and compassion.
The stranger move forward in the courtroom. He asked of the judge permission to speak. The judge granted permission.
The stranger addressed the defendant. He acknowledged the defendants crimes against the King and confirmed the punishment is death. Then the stranger turned toward the judge and said, “Judge, this man is guilty of the crimes for which he is charged. You are rightful in your judgement that he is to die, as punishment. But, I stand before you today and take his place. I will die in his stead that he may live.”
The room took a collective gasp! Why would an innocent man take upon himself the penalty of another man? Why would an innocent man die in the place of another?
The stranger continued, “The King, my father, has sent me. I come in obedience to him, yet I also come of my own free will. Our compassion for this man is great. I will take his penalty upon myself and he will take my innocence upon himself.”
This scene would never take place in a courtroom on earth. But, this scene did take place in the throne room of God. The guilty man represents all of us, each and every person on this earth. Every person who has ever lived and every person yet to be born. We are all guilty of committing crimes against the King of heaven and earth. The King is God. We may not know of our crimes against him. We may be respected and successful in this world. We may be behaving like the other people around us. This matters not – we are still guilty of breaking God’s holy law.
Jesus, the only Son of God, entered the world as a baby, born in the normal way. He came into the world to live a guiltless and innocent life. He came into this world to give his life in our place to pay our penalty for the crimes we committed. Because of his love and compassion for you and me, when we accept his gift, we receive pardon for our crimes. We receive his innocence.
This Christmas, accept the gift God sent to you. The gift of his only Son Jesus.
Merry Christmas.