CHAPTER ELEVEN
The residents of the Quarry often awoke on Christmas morning to
the sound of cap - guns. The young boys, with their new cowboy
guns and holsters, just had to discover who was fastest on the
draw, even if this meant the shoot - out began as early as 7 a.m.
Billy the Kid, Hopalong Cassidy, Tom Mix, and Jesse James, often
bit the dust in the lane behind my grandparents' house. The
cowboys with the rifles usually guarded the wagon - train, ( a
baby's pram and a couple of gig - gigs ), against the Commanches,
Apaches, and the Sioux. The roars of these Indians echoed around
the Quarry from the early hours of Christmas morning until bed -
time.
The Indians, complete with feathers, plastic tomahawks and
knives, bows and arrows, and war-paint, ( black or brown shoe
polish ), circled the wagon - train in Purcell's field several
times throughout the day. They would only stop if some of their
chiefs, Cochise, Geronimo, or Sitting Bull, were shot. But the
cowboys had a very serious problem when the sulphur - caps they
used in their guns were used up. This meant they were 'out of
ammo.' They would then send out a 'scout' to the nearest shop, to
purchase a few more rolls of caps. He would have to fight his way
through the Indians to get to the supply depot, and then attempt
to make his way back to the wagon - train, with the ammunition.
Occasionally, the Cavalry came to the rescue, if the Indians
seemed to be winning. The rule was that the red - skins always
had to be defeated.
The little girls meanwhile seemed to be quite content to play
with their dolls and tea - sets, and to help Mammy make the
necessary preparations for the Christmas dinner.
Now, years later, as I thought of all the excitement of those
Christmas mornings, the new toys, the giving and receiving of
gifts, I was reminded of the wonderful gift God gave to mankind
on the first Christmas, when He gave us His Son to be our
Saviour.
As I read in the Bible the account of the birth of Jesus, I
discovered that Micah, the Old Testament Prophet, had foretold
that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. A Census was called
at just the right time, to ensure Joseph and Mary would be in
that very city when the time arrived for the birth of the child.
Luke writes, "While they were there, the time came for the
baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She
wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there
was no room for them in the Inn."1 This was, indeed, the
most remarkable event in human history. The Apostle Paul puts it
like this: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent
forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem
them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption
of sons."2
I could see here the identity of the child who was born to
Mary. God sent forth His Son. John describes Him like this:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God....And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt
among us, ( and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, ) full of grace and truth."3 Isaiah
pro phesied, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a
sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall
call his name Immanuel....For unto us a child is born, unto us a
son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and
his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."4
Jesus, Divine in nature, being the Eternally Begotten Son of
God, now takes upon Himself a human nature. Mary would be the
mother of the man Christ Jesus. This child who was born to Mary
was Truly God, and Truly man. Here was God's own Son, being born
in a stable and laid in a manger, as there was no room for them
in the Inn. I could picture Joseph and Mary arriving in Bethlehem
for the Census. The city would have been crowded with multitudes
of visitors who had come to register. Realising the baby was
about to be born, a frantic search must have been made for
accommodation. Mary found herself in a great predicament. The
baby would soon be born, but where? How disappointed she must
have been when they were told that there was no room for them in
the Inn. People didn't know it, but they were refusing entry not
only to Joseph and Mary, but also to Jesus, the Saviour, who was
in Mary's womb.
Then I asked myself a question: "If they had knocked at
my door, would I have let them in? Or would I say No Room!"
And my answer was: "But of course I would let them in!"
Then I read in the Bible that Jesus Himself is, in fact, knocking
on the door of our hearts, seeking admission. He says,
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my
voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup
with him, and he with Me."5
As I read these words, it became very clear that Jesus stands
outside of our lives. But He knocks, and desires that we invite
Him in. This amazed me, for I had always believed that Jesus came
into our hearts when we were baptised as infants. I also believed
I received Christ each time I received Holy Communion. But now I
was reading in God's Word that the Lord comes into our lives by
invitation only. He does not enter by means of some childhood
ritual. Neither does He force His way in, but knocks, and asks
admission. The following words, taken from an old Hymn, really
challenged me: "Have you any room for Jesus, He who bore
your load of sin? As He knocks and asks admission, sinner, will
you let Him in?".
Remembering how the Blessed Virgin must have felt when told
there was no room in the Inn, I felt she must be heart - broken
now to see so many people still saying, "No Room", and
refusing to invite her Son into their lives. How disappointed she
must be, I thought, to see so many people, especially here in
Ireland, whose lives are so filled with religion that there is no
room for Jesus. Outwardly, we are religious, say our prayers, and
attend Church, but inside there is an emptiness, because of our
refusal to respond to Jesus' knock. I could now see in the
Scriptures that, for each one of us the important question is
this; "Will I invite Jesus into my life, as Lord and
Saviour, or will I continue to say No Room?"
CHAPTER TWELVE
The first encounter I ever had with sheep was when I was about
12 years old. It was during the school holidays when, along with
a few of my friends, we were hired one afternoon by a farmer to
help him to get some work done. It was the first time I ever
travelled in a Volkswagen Beetle, and we really enjoyed the
journey to the farm in Rahealty, about four miles from the town.
We worked hard, especially while repairing several gaps in the
ditches. But the most tiring job was that of rounding up the
sheep. They had broken through the ditches in the fields, and had
strayed on to neighbouring farms. We coaxed them, threatened them
with sticks, and ran several miles after them, until eventually,
we got them back to their own fields. We had already repaired the
ditches, so they were now secured. I was so tired from running
after these sheep, that I decided I never even wanted to see one
of them again.
To make matters even worse, the farmer `codded' us. I was
always of the opinion that when you worked for a farmer, you were
assured of good grub, usually a big feed of bacon, cabbage, and
spuds. I also remembered hearing my grandmother say, "Where
there's muck, there's money", so I was expecting at least
two Bob for the work I had done. The good grub never
materialised, but at least, I thought, as we travelled home,
hungry and tired, in the V.W. Beetle, we will be able to buy a
good feed with the money we get from our farmer friend. We just
couldn't believe it when he handed us a three - penny bit each,
assuring us that he would contact us again whenever he needed
good workers. From that day on, we decided to change this
farmer's name. Whenever we spoke of him again, he was referred to
as 'the meanest man in Ireland.'
Some of the difficulties I had encountered while attempting to
round up those sheep gave me a little insight concerning their
foolishness. It seemed as if all they wanted to do was to stray
away from the security their owner had provided for them. I was
surprised to discover as I read the Scriptures that this
foolishness is not only found in sheep, but in people also. The
Prophet Isaiah, in fact, likens us to sheep when he writes;
"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned
to his own way."1 But Jesus came to rescue those who are
straying. He said, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to
save what was lost."2 ; "I am the good shepherd. The
good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."3
I was very interested in the fact that the first people to
whom the news of the birth of the Saviour was given were
shepherds. I now had the opportunity to actually read the very
words of the message that was given to them: "But the angel
said to them, `Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great
joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a
Saviour has been born to you: He is Christ the Lord. This will be
a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying
in a manger.'"4
This message of 'good tidings of great joy', was for ALL
people. The Saviour had been born so that, regardless of
nationality, colour or creed, men and women could be saved
through Him. The words of one of the songs which will be sung in
Heaven are as follows; " - Because you were slain, and with
your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and
language and people and nation."5
"Today, the Saviour has been born", the angel told
the shepherds. The word 'Today', was, I felt, very important
here, for it meant that nobody born before the birth of Jesus was
the Saviour. This included all the Old Testament Prophets,
Priests, and Kings, and even the Blessed Virgin. It also included
several people who had actually claimed to be the Messiah. The
identity of the Saviour is made very clear to the shepherds.
"He is the baby who is born TODAY, the one you will find
lying in a manger in the stable! He is Christ the Lord!,"
the angel told the shepherds. No other person could save souls.
Luke wrote, "Salvation is found in no - one else, for there
is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be
saved."6
As far as I was concerned, this was a very important point,
for I had been taught that the Blessed Virgin was a Co -
Redemptrix, a Co - Redeemer. In other words, that Mary is a
partner with Jesus in the work of Redemption. I had been taught
that Mary's co - operation with God, in giving birth to His Son,
combined with the sufferings she endured, especially as her Son
was being crucified, were accepted by God as part of the
redemptive work of Christ. In other words, through her obedience
and sufferings, she played an important part in the salvation of
souls, and still does.
I remembered the angel's message to Joseph, and it was very
clear; He did not say, "The child which is conceived in
Mary's womb will, in partnership with his mother, save his people
from their sins." Nor did he say, "The obedience and
sufferings of Jesus, combined with the obedience and sufferings
of His mother, will save people from their sins." But his
message was this; "She will give birth to a son, and you are
to give him the name Jesus, ( meaning "The Lord Saves"
), because he will save His people from their sins."7
The distinctive roles of both Mary and Jesus are outlined
here;
(a) Mary would give birth to Jesus. This was her role.
(b) Jesus would save His people from their sins. This was His
role.
I discovered that throughout the Scriptures, these distinctive
roles are always separate from each other. In other words,
nowhere in the Scriptures in there any reference to Jesus' role
as Saviour being attributed, even in part, to Mary. The Blessed
Virgin herself never claimed to be a Co - Redemptrix, a Co -
Redeemer, or to play any part in the redemptive work of her Son.
Her role was that of a devoted mother who, in her own words,
"rejoiced in God her Saviour."
The word 'Today', in the angel's message also had a second
significance for, not only did it mean that nobody born before
Christ was the Saviour, but it also disqualifies everybody born
since then. I reckoned this was a very important point as, down
through the centuries since the birth of Christ, various people
have claimed to be the Messiah. Others, while not actually
stating publicly that they were the Saviour, have claimed to have
the power to forgive sins, an attribute which belongs to God
alone.
The teachers of the Law knew from the Scriptures that God
alone had the power to forgive sins. So, when they heard Jesus
telling a man that his sins were forgiven , they said, "Why
does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can
forgive sins but God alone?" Jesus answered them, "But
that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to
forgive sins - "8 Jesus was here proclaiming His Deity. In
other words, He was declaring that He was, in fact, God in the
flesh and, as such, had power to forgive sins. The only person
who ever walked the face of the earth who had the power to
forgive sins was Jesus Christ. To possess the power to forgive a
person's sins, is to possess the power to save their soul for, if
a person's sins have been forgiven, they will be saved. The power
to forgive sins and to save souls cannot be separated. This power
is God's alone. Any person who claims to have the power to
forgive sins is, in fact, claiming to have the power to save
souls. In other words, he is claiming, indirectly, to be the
Saviour.
Some people will point to the Scriptures and say that Jesus gave
His Apostles the power to forgive sins when He said to
them," - Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose upon earth will be loosed in
heaven."9 ; "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are
forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not
forgiven."10
But a close examination of the context shows that what Jesus
was giving to both His Apostles and His disciples was, not the
power to actually forgive sins, but the authority to DECLARE
whether a person's sins had or had not ALREADY been forgiven by
God, depending upon whether or not they had sincerely repented.
In other words, Christ gave to His disciples the authority to
DECLARE forgiveness to those whom God had ALREADY forgiven. The
simplest way of understanding what Jesus was saying to His
disciples is to read the verses quoted, in context, as follows;
"Whatever you bind on earth will ( already ) have been bound
in heaven, and whatever you loose upon earth will ( already )
have been loosed in heaven." ; "If you forgive anyone
his sins, they are ( have already been ) forgiven; if you do not
forgive them, they are not ( have not already been )
forgiven."
Christ's disciples knew that theirs was only a DECLARATIVE
authority, and that they themselves did not have the power to
actually forgive sins. They never claimed to have this power, for
it belongs to God alone.
I was amazed to learn, as I read God's Word, that neither the
Apostles, nor any of Christ's disciples, ever set up confession
boxes, or insisted that people confess their sins to them. On the
contrary, they taught that sin was to be confessed directly to
God, who alone can forgive sins. Peter did not hear confessions
and forgive sins, but said, "Repent of this wickedness and
pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a
thought in your heart."11
The Apostle John did not encourage people to come to him to
confess their sins and receive absolution, but said, "If we
confess our sins ( to God ), he is faithful and just and will
forgive us our sins, and purify us from all
unrighteousness....But If anybody does sin, we have one who
speaks to the Father in our defence - Jesus Christ, the Righteous
One."12 John is saying here that when we need forgiveness
for our sins, we can come directly to God, for Jesus, the One who
paid for our sins, is there at the Father's right hand, on our
behalf, as our Advocate, our Mediator, and our Priest. This means
we do not need a human go - between, but that we can come
directly to God.
I, who had gone to Confession regularly, was very surprised to
discover that Auricular Confession of sins to a priest, instead
of to God, was not instituted until A.D. 1215, by Pope Innocent
111. This was something which was specifically instituted by men,
and not by God, and is, in fact, completely contrary to the
teachings of Scripture.
But I was delighted as I once again read the angel's message
to Joseph: "You are to give him the name Jesus, for He will
save his people from their sins." This meant that the One
who would be born of the Blessed Virgin was the only One who
could forgive sins, and thereby save His people.
The helpless little baby whom Mary lovingly wrapped in swaddling
clothes, was none other than God Incarnate. I couldn't help but
wonder how Mary felt at that time. This young woman must have
been so overjoyed when told she was going to be the mother of
Jesus. Throughout her pregnancy, she surely must have been making
plans concerning the birth of the baby, and preparing the home
for the new arrival. She must have expected that, being God's
Son, the child would be born in at least normal, if not special
surroundings. What a shock it must have been to her to have to
give birth in a stable. The only cradle into which she could put
her baby was a manger, a feeding trough for animals.
It cannot have been easy for Mary. She did not know all that
the future might hold when, at the time of the angel Gabriel's
visit, she surrendered her life to God. Now, nine months later,
this young wife and mother's life had completely changed. But
Mary knew that all the changes that had taken place in her life
were part of God's plan, and that His eternal purposes were being
worked out. Her obedience, and her submission to God's will, were
blessed with the joy of being given the responsibility of giving
birth to the Messiah. So much had happened and, according to
Luke, "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them
in her heart."13
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