While dying Jesus said, “Father forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing.” The following is an example of the fruit of ignorance.
“The attack came less than a week after the bodies of eight people, including health workers disseminating information about Ebola, were found dead in a village latrine in a remote part of southeastern Guinea. The eight, including three journalists, had been ‘killed in cold blood by the villagers’ on Sept. 16, . . .”
Eight people were slain for trying to bring good things to a village. Jesus was slain for trying to bring eternal life to us. Those villagers did it in ignorance. They didn’t understand. They thought those eight people were bringing the disease. The religious leadership that killed Jesus should have known. They had the Scriptures with all the prophecies. The people in the village should have known. But ignorance is a terrible thing. Ignorance causes endless horror.
“Father forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing.” They were killing the very Creator of all things. Paul finally got it and wrote to us in the beginning of Hebrews that Jesus is the very Creator.
I’m sorry to share such a disturbing piece of news about the Ebola workers. But it was just so appropriate. I agree that it is a disgusting piece of news. However, Jesus’ death was a disgusting act. We sometimes make it pretty with lovely pictures. There wasn’t anything pretty about the brutality and the stench of human waste flowing from the crucified. Once in a while we need to remind ourselves just how bad it was. And that it was for us!
Written by Roger Bothwell on September 25, 2014
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
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