the sobbing man

by Daniel Miller

The sobbing man

The man slumped down sobbing. His name is David. David is heartbroken because the best friend that he ever had was taking the punishment for his crimes. David regretted what he had done. He should be the one there taking the punishment that he was seeing his friend take for him. It was the death penalty and his friend was taking the punishment.

“I remember starting out as a kid doing what I wanted. My family was rich and I was the only child. I had anything I wanted because my parents spoiled me. I didn’t start getting into trouble until I got a little older.

When I was about twelve I started thinking that I was better than the other kids. They were poor so I must be better. I learned to hate them and started bullying them. If they had anything that I wanted, I took it. If they wouldn’t let me have it, I would beat them up and take it. I loved to cause others pain. It was fun.

One time, when I was about sixteen, I stopped a kid on his way to the market. I was bored and asked him where he was going. He said that he was going to get some bread for his family. If he talked to the right people he might get enough to eat with supper. His mother was waiting for him to return. I told him that he owed me money and beat him up when he wouldn’t give it over. The boy survived the beating but he wasn’t right afterwards. Since my family was rich, they paid off the judge and I got off free.

When I got old enough my father wanted me to go to work and make something out of myself. He gave me a choice. I could move out, or I could get to work. I took what I could and started living on the streets. I had plenty of money from what I took from others.

Before too long I figured out that the money I had wasn’t going to last too long and turned to pick pocketing. I was good at it and had enough to keep me in food. I took what I wanted when I snuck into peoples houses. Most didn’t even know that I was there until they found their possessions missing the next day. The one time that I got caught, I hit the man in the head with a vase. He never woke up and I never got caught.

Once my father had suspicions of what I was doing he disowned me. I don’t blame him. He was having a rough time dealing with people because of the trouble that I was causing out in the open. I still liked to hurt others that were smaller than me.

It wasn’t long before the people started locking up their belongings and I needed a better way of making money. A merchant who was less than honorable came to me one day in secret. He had a rival that was costing him business. The merchant wanted someone to get rid of his rival. I told him that I could do it and promised to make it look like an accident. He paid me good money for that job and promised to send more my way if I was okay with it. During my time I found that the authorities were corrupt and needed me around. Before long I was known as someone not to cross paths with. I had whatever I wanted and made quite a living

Even though I had whatever I wanted, I still felt something was missing. I grew disgusted with my life looking for that one thing that I was missing. I listened to philosophers and tried to understand what they were saying but they all seemed to say the same thing. Enlightenment comes over time and they were still working to attain it. What a bunch of malarkey. They only wanted the money that their followers were giving them.

One day when he was disgusted with the emptiness that he felt, he went to hear a man speak. This man told everyone that there was something that all people needed. It was a way out of this world and a way on to a better world. The way was simple and the pathway was right in front of them, but the way was bound to cause them to deny themselves of some of the comforts that they had become use to. Trouble would be on the way that would cause some to turn aside and give up. Others would die along the way but the destination would be more glorious than they could imagine.

David decided to follow this man to see where the path would lead him. The leader was a traveling doctor. He would find the sick and diseased and he would help them. During his travels this man would tell about the place that they were going to and some would believe what he was saying while others mocked him trying to confound him with questions that they already knew the answers to. He would more than confound them and bring their own points back to them showing that they were not up to challenging the intelligence that this man possessed.

This leader talked of how a life could be changed just by walking the path and helping others along the way. Over time David figured out what the leader was speaking about and believed in what he was saying. This poor broken man began to heal from the wounds that life had given him. He became sorry for all of the trouble that he had caused and the wrong that he had done. Everyplace that he went, he told about what this healer had taught him and brought many to hear him speak. This healer sent David on a mission to bring more to him that he could help. David had turned his life into something just by following this leader’s teachings.

Now this leader was facing trial for something he did not do. While he was in jail the jailer beat him repeatedly mocking him and slapping him. The judge tried to make him speak in his defense but he would not. This poor soul sobbing here on the ground didn’t even lift a finger to help. What was he so scared of. He owed his allegiance to this leader but was too scared to do anything.

At the trial the people that he confounded made false accusations and came up with lies to give this man the death penalty. The things that David had done were blamed on the friend. Now David was so scared that he could not face up to the things that he had done. Now David was slumped down sobbing while his friend was taking his punishment.

This was to be a public execution. This leader’s followers were here watching the horror of what was happening and doing nothing to stop it. This was the way that the leader decided was best to save his followers. He did it to show them how much he loved them and didn’t want harm to come to them. It was all the fault of this poor soul that the leader was taking the blame.

You see this leader is none other than Jesus Christ and this poor soul is every living person that ever lived or will live. With the sins that we have committed the price had to be paid so that we could be put on the one true path to heaven. Jesus said,” I am the way the truth and the life. No man cometh to the father but by me.” Jesus blood is the only thing that can cleanse us from our sins and heal the rotten person that we all are in the sight of God. The things that we do cannot wash out the bad and we cannot earn our way to heaven.

I am that reason that Jesus had to die in my place. If no one else had ever sinned and was perfect, Jesus would still have to die for my sins. Because He rose again the third day my sins are forgiven and I am on my way to heaven. I am just a traveler here on this earth doing as he commands me until I can finally spend eternity with him. My task is to do what is needed to bring others to him so that they can have the same joy that comes from giving yourself to Him to do His will and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are going to heaven, that your sins are forgiven. Trust in Him and what He did for all of us by paying for our sins. Accept what He has done for you and you too will have that joy.