JESUS

He began His ministry by being hungry, yet He is the Bread of Life.

Jesus ended His earthly ministry by being thirsty, yet He is the Living Water.

Jesus was weary, yet He is our rest. Jesus paid tribute, yet He is the King.

Jesus was accused of having a demon, yet He cast out demons.

Jesus wept, yet He wipes away our tears.

Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver, yet He redeemed the world.

Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He is the Good Shepherd.

Jesus died, yet by His death He destroyed the power of death.

“Because of the Lord’s love we are not consumed, for compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness”. Lamentations 3:22-23.

FAITH and LOVE

The bell rings for morning classes to begin. The new teacher, white-haired, with 40 years of experience, waits expectantly for 36 children to sit down, become quiet, and listen for instruction.

To her amazement, there is no lull in noise or activity. She speaks; no one listens. She speaks again; no one pays any attention. Nothing changes. The teacher then becomes determined not to let children get the best of her.

She straightens herself to full height; still she is short, but the voice that rings out is big and strong. “Quiet. Now.” Silence comes immediately. Children look at one another in amazement. The teacher—with faith in herself, in God for whom she teaches, and in the children—begins a lesson. For the period until the recess, they work. Faith and love are the two essentials in crisis-solving situations. These children sense the presence of both in this woman who wasted no time on foolishness. At noon, the teacher smiles and asks the children to help her with the cafeteria line because she does not know the rules. When the class returns she compliments them on being the best-behaved group in the lunchroom. Surprised, the children begin to understand the teacher would be fair.

Time passes. Slowly, but surely, the class comes to have faith in the new teacher. They realize she has faith in their ability to be good students. A bond forms between the class and the teacher because the students learn to listen to the teacher and accept her guidance.