Testimonial Fire

It came about during Holy Week, the season of Easter. If ever we would remember the Lord, his mission, his sacrifice and his love, it’s on Easter.

I was walking and I heard and saw a man, he was a block away, on his knees begging, “Please Christians, I am hungry, please help! I am hungry; may I have a dollar or anything to help for food, please Christians?”

He kept repeating it. I never heard a beggar say, “please Christians”. It seemed as if Christians were being called out, to do what Jesus said and come to the aid of another. But this could be just a simple matter of empathy.

As I walked the entire city block towards him not one person stopped and offered a cent and my Spirit began to testify, saying, “Have they not heard, have they not read?”

Jesus said, “When the son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat…”

This was Holy Week, a week full of traditions recognizing Christ and more than 20 people
walked by a begging man on his knees. Maybe the people that passed him don’t follow Jesus and never heard of Holy Week. Maybe they’re not concerned with saints, justice, mercy and faithfulness, so the man on his knees is just another bum begging. It bothered me for two days. I had to come to terms that people may not know what Jesus said, but I was reminded again of what he said to those who claim they follow God’s word,

“Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, this people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

Testimonial fire stresses that man has worshiped one god or another for as long as the Stone Age. The love for customs and traditions are fought over, even up until this day.

Jesus said, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandments of God in order to keep your tradition!” The great prophet writes concerning the people, “Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fade but the word of our Lord shall stand forever.”

As we remember Jesus’ sacrifice, his love, his death, his life, his compassion, may we try to love and have compassion for the “least of these our brothers and sisters” as He did. He has shown the way and all we need to do is follow in His glorious light.