DEATH OF A KING

I don’t know about you, but I have found myself enjoying taking a little break and watching the animal
reels on Facebook. They are absolutely amazing as the camera operators have managed to capture some
pretty amazing action scenes, concerning typical life of wild animals: mother chimpanzees bathing their
young or even giving birth; bears catching fish that are jumping into the air out of roaring rivers; or massive
elk and moose movement in a quiet bush, with big racks protruding into the air. The hardest reels to watch
are the reels of survival in the animal kingdom. I’m sure you have seen the baby antelope or elephants
that were somehow separated from the herd or targeted amongst their family, as lions or leopards chase
and rip apart their defenseless prey. Lately these reels have even been more heartbreaking. I decided not
to watch them anymore after a specific reel. In this reel about four gigantic rhinos ganged up on a fullgrown lion in an open field, with only a tree or two in their midst. It was so shocking and horrifying to see
this majestic lion, who is king of the jungle, scooped up by the snout and horn of the rhino and tossed in
the air like it was a rag doll. The lion was in bad shape but still alive with a look of painful shock in its eyes.

Every time it landed on the ground and tried to drag itself to hide behind a couple of trees, the rhinos
would do the exact thing all over again. I couldn’t watch the end of the video and I have never seen it
again. To see a beautiful, powerful creature overcome in such a torturous way was just too much for me.
I actually had tears in my eyes! After I had closed my phone, feeling sick over what I saw, I realized in an
instant why I was so emotional. I was thinking of my King, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His torturous time at
the hands of His creation, as he endured the cross. Scripture says that his back was whipped open and
looked like a plowed field; His head and face bled as His enemies plucked the hairs from his cheek and
placed the crown of thorns on his head (Psalm 129:3, Matthew 27:29). Unlike the lion that couldn’t escape
and was helpless before his enemies, the Lord Jesus could have called on legions of angels to defend Him
from the terrible abuse He suffered. (Matthew 26:53) He didn’t because he was going to the cross out of
love to his Father and love for us. Far worse than what cruel humans did to the Lord Jesus, was when God
Himself laid on Jesus the punishment for the sins of the world—my sins and your sins. Those three dark
hours were so terrible that God turned His back on His Son for the first time ever, as Jesus suffered alone
and died (Matthew27:46). “For our sake God made the Lord Jesus to be sin who knew no sin, so that in
him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). What kind of pain did the Father
and Son endure on my behalf and on your behalf! I could barely stand to watch a magnificent animal
suffer a cruel death, how much worse for the perfect Son of God, who created the universe and all that is
within it, who holds all things together to subject Himself to death by the hands of His own creation? I’m
very thankful to say that though the lion has been long gone and his bones are spread over the ground,
the Lord Jesus, the King of the universe, defeated death for us and is alive today! (Revelation 1:18) What
about you? Where do you stand with regards to the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ? Can you say with
heartfelt certainty, “He died for me?” Or is the story of the cross so indifferent to you that you just swipe
it forward, as if it were just another reel on Facebook? Your response to the Lord Jesus determines God’s
response to you! God loves you and He is not willing for anyone to perish in his or her sins (2 Peter 3:9).
Will you humble yourself today with a softened heart and thank the Lord Jesus for taking your judgment
at the cross? Listen to the words of the Lord Jesus: “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message
and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they
have already passed from death into life” (John 5:24).
Author: Becky Kew shares good news at Sandy
Bay First Nation, Manitoba, Canada. [email protected]
Published with Permission from InterTribal Life - 2023 - January https://www.newspaper.indianlife.org/

This article was written by: Becky Kew