What if I
stopped judging the "bad guys" in the scriptures and put myself in
their place? Why do I always think about myself as Nephi, Amon, Moroni, Peter,
the Good Samaritan. Why don't I see myself as Laman, Zeezrom, or the Prodigal
Son? I may know why. It is that little piece of dirt on the top of my nose,
called pride. This little pride dirt that make me feel so righteous, and unable
me to see how SELF righteous I am.
My religion class last week opened my eyes to humbling myself and placing me in the lives of
two "bad guys" of the New Testament: Malchus and Barabbas.
In John
18:10 and Luke 22:51 tells us how right after Jesus suffering in the
Ghetsemani, as Judas came to betray the Master, Peter cuts off Malchus ear. At
that moment Jesus reaction could have been sarcastic, mean or rude. Jesus had
only suffered the most agonizing pain a human could ever suffer without dying.
And He was looking at Malchus, having an ear just cut off, feeling a strong
pain, but nothing compared to the pain Jesus had just suffered. However, moved
for perfect love and compassion, Jesus without hesitate, in a natural act of
kindness and mercy heals the one who had come to capture and take Him to be
killed. How am I like Malchus? How many times have I deliberately chosen to do
something which I knew was not right? How many times have I offended my Savior
only to immediately suffer the consequences of my bad decisions? However, when
I was in the most agonizing pain, Jesus with His kind hands came and showed me
His infinite mercy and love, healing me. I can relate a lot to this man.
Let's think
about Barabbas now. In Luke 23:19 we read that Barabbas had been condemned to
prison for sedition and murder. He was one of the worst prisoners. Pilates, as
part of the Passover tradition of freely releasing one prisoner presents Christ
(the pure and innocent) and Barabbas (the murder and robber). Ironically the
one who is made free is Barabbas, for whom Jesus takes the cross and is killed
in Barabbas' place. For a long time I thought of Barabbas: awful man, he is the
one who should have been killed and let my Savior live. Why was such a bad man
freed? Well, what if I am Barabbas? I am the one who sins and make mistakes
every single day. However, who is the one who suffers for them? Who is the one
who pays for all my sins? Who is the pure and innocent who without complaining
carries and is raised in my cross, so I can be purified and receive not only
second, but third, twentieth, hundredth chances? Well, Jesus Christ. So, if
Jesus did and has continually done this for me, why could He not decide Himself
to do the same for Barabbas?
Why do I
keep condemning Barabbas and Malchus, when I am the one that many times have
also been in their place? I hope and I personally believe that these two 'bad
guys' may have repented and became Brother Malchus and Brother Barabbas. The
touching of Jesus in Malchus ear may have gone deeper into his heart, and maybe
Barabbas seeing Jesus dying in the cross made him feel something special about
the love and mercy of God that made him to change. Who knows? My nose, your
nose? I don't know. But I hope that these two men could experience not only the
physical healing and salvation that Jesus did for them, but also the spiritual.
And I hope that I may humble myself before God, recognizing all the times in
which I am the 'bad guy', and that through that process I may be purified by
the eternal Atonement of my Savior Jesus Christ.
