At Calvary

© Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen

All Rights Reserved

All ye that weep come unto One – who weeps;

All ye that suffer come to One – who cures;

All trembling hearts, be still – He pity keeps;

All passers-by, oh! tarry – He endures.

                              -       Victor Hugo.

   There was a time in my tempestuous youth during which I have made some questionable decisions and, like so many young adults before me had done, had wandered far from the paths and ways of God.  I also, during a season of rebellion, followed the route of arrogant hedonism and proud agnosticism.  But, thank God, there was a time (I think it was in 1974 or 1975 … I am not exactly sure) when I was sitting in my 2500 cc. red sports sedan (a 1974 Triumph Chicane, the ‘poor man’s Jaguar’, complete with overdrive!) that I had to concede that I couldn’t go on any longer like this without God, without the Gospel, and without the Church (meaning the global ‘Ecclesia’, not necessarily the denomination).

   My life was falling apart, I was chronically depressed, and it felt as if I were going nowhere … fast.  I switched on the car radio, and by some uncanny coincidence a familiar South African radio host, John Van Den Bergh, came on the air.  He was elaborating on the parable of the woman at the well, when Jesus, instead of condemning or rejecting her, issued this startling invitation (I quote the entire passage for context):

   John 4:5  Then He came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

   John 4:6  And Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus upon the well. It was about the sixth hour.

   John 4:7  A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, Give me to drink.

   John 4:8  (For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.)

   John 4:9  Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, How do you, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, who am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews do not associate with Samaritans.

   John 4:10  Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give Me to drink, you would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water.

   John 4:11  The woman said to Him, Sir, you have no vessel, and the well is deep. From where then do you have that living water?

   John 4:12  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his children and his cattle?

   John 4:13  Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again,

   John 4:14  but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (MKJV, eSword).

   After I had listened to his discourse, I started my car and drove home with a firm resolution: Some things around here were going to change.  If I remember correctly, the following Sunday I went to Church for the first time in about 10 years … what a wonderful feeling to come home! 

   Now it so happens that, in South Africa, people have the habit of planting crosses at roadsides to mark a spot where a loved one had died in a car accident on the road.  I do not wish, on this forum, to enter into a debate on the pros and cons of the sentiment of erecting crosses at the roadside.  In fact, I cannot even remotely even begin to imagine what it must feel like to lose a child, a parent or some other precious loved one in an accident.  I just want to mention that, whenever I see such a cross at the roadside today, it seems to send an additional message to me, a message that reminds me of a lonely cross at Calvary that says:  “This is the spot where My Son had died for your sins and the sins of the world … don’t you ever forget that.”

   It is in times like these that I regret the unbelievably frivolous attitudes of my irresponsible youth and the superficial ambitions of my arrogant young adulthood.  I regret the time wasted on the multitudinous multiplicities of trivial pursuits and carnal exploits.  In fact, I cannot look back on my life today without thinking:  Was I really part of a humanity that had contributed so little to the kingdom of God and to humanity in general?  I sometimes shudder at the thought of my own earlier ignorance, selfishness, conceit and shallowness; the incredible vanity, pride and gross indiscretions of an unregenerate, unrepentant heart.  It was as if the song At Calvary was written exclusively for me:

YouTube

At Calvary

(William R. Newell/Arr. John W. Peterson, © Copyright 1966 by Singspiration, Inc. All rights reserved)

Years I spent in vanity and pride,

Caring not my Lord was crucified,

Knowing not it was for me He died

On Calvary.

Mercy there was great and grace was free,

Pardon there was multiplied to me;

There my burdened soul found liberty,

At Calvary.

O the love that drew salvation’s plan!

O the grace that brought it down to man!

O the mighty gulf that God did span

At Calvary!

Mercy there was great and grace was free,

Pardon there was multiplied to me;

There my burdened soul found liberty,

At Calvary.

Piet Stassen

eLiterature/eLiteratuur:

1. Scribd Publishing Site:  www.scribd.com/PietStassen (ENGLISH & AFRIKAANS)
2. eBook: 'Evolution: The Science That Evolved Into A Fairy Tale' (ENGLISH)  
3. eBook:  'Bertrand Russell Revisited: Rebuttal Of Bertrand Russell's 'Why I Am Not A Christian''(ENGLISH)
4. eBook: 'Meditations & Contemplations: A Reader For Both Atheists And Creationists' (ENGLISH)
5. eBook: 'Conservation, Rhino Poaching And Hypocrisy' (ENGLISH)
6. eBook: 'Why Darwinism ('Evolution') Does Not Make Sense' (ENGLISH)
7. eBook: 'Names And Titles Of Jesus Of Nazareth (ENGLISH)'
8. eBoek:  'Darwin Of Christus: Suid-Afrikaners By 'n Kruispad!' [AFRIKAANS].
9. eBoek:  'Bevryding Van Die Anti-Evangelie Van Ateisme-Evolusionisme' [AFRIKAANS].
10. eBoek:  'Name & Titels Van Jesus Christus' [AFRIKAANS].
11. eTracts, Christian (Free, Downloadable):  Free, downloadable Christian eTracts for free distribution (ENGLISH)
12. eTraktate, Christelik (Gratis, Aflaaibaar): Gratis, aflaaibabre Christelike Traktate vir gratis verspreiding (AFRIKAANS)

Bibliography

1.     Downes, R.P. (n.d.) Hours With The Immortals. ‘Victor Hugo’. Publisher Unknown (Printed by Hazell, Watson & Vincy, Ld., London and Aylesbury, pre 1915).
2.     Peterson, John W. (1966) Favorites Number 6. ‘At Calvary’. Singspiration Music, Zondervan. Grand Rapids, Michigan.

3.     Peterson, John W. 'JohnW Peterson'. Accessed At <www.johnwpeterson.com> [online] 2013. iam R. Newell. Accessed At <http://cyberhymnal.org/bio/n/e/newell_wr.htm> [online] 2013.