When Jesus Comes

© Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen

All Rights Reserved

Before undergoing a surgical operation arrange your temporal affairs. You may live.

-          Ambrose Bierce, 1842-1914.

   When I was in third grade, in 1955, I one day fell severely ill, with the the symptoms unfortunately manifesting themselves only at about 10 a.m. the next day … at school. So there I was, down at the boys’ bathroom trying to console myself, crying and slobbering all over the place, hugely embarrassed and in acute pain. Then, out of the blue, somebody walked into the bathroom, stopped, and turned toward me in my lonely little martyr’s cubicle.  My distraught cries could be heard miles away, and, on top of it all, I was concerned about the class I was missing out on.

   Then this mysterious intruder started pushing open the door, and the harder he pushed, the harder I pushed back.  Adult strength prevailed, resistance was futile and the stranger took a modest peek inside.  It was the school principal, Mr. Tom de Ridder, a lean, middle-aged educationist with wavy, silver hair and an aquiline nose.  The conversation was carried on in Afrikaans, my mother-tongue:

Principal: “Wat makeer ou seun, voel jy siek?” (“What’s the matter son, are you ill?”).  

Me: (I sobbed my reply): “Ja Meneer!” (Yes sir!”).

Principal:  “Wie is jou onderwyser?” (“Who is your teacher?”).

Me: “Juffrou van Heerden, meneer!” (“Miss van Heerden, sir!”).

Principal: (kindly urging): “Moenie weggaan nie … bly net hier.  Ek gaan gou reëlings tref vir jou om huistoe te gaan.  Jy hoort in die bed!” (“Don’t go away, wait right here … I am going to arrange for you to go home.  You should be in bed!”). 

   A few minutes later I was on my way home about a kilometre away, chaperoned by a much-delighted school buddy, Pop du Plooy, who must have been starved for fresh air and a valid reason to escape from the confines of the classroom.

   Dear reader, nothing delights me more than stories of rescue and salvation.  Nothing delights me more than a soul who has found Jesus Christ as his/her personal Lord and Saviour. Nothing delights me more than a drunkard, atheist, skeptic or agnostic (or anybody, for that matter ... rich or poor, young or old) kneeling at the foot of the Cross of Calvary and making peace with God. It has happened thousands, if not millions of times, in history, and will probably still happen millions of times in future … just ask Billy Graham; just ask your local pastor, or your neighbour for that matter … Jesus still saves! 

   I will never forget the intervention of our school principal on the day I got sick; his act of kindness, instead of a reprimand and condemnation, will forever be etched in my mind and stored in the archives of my memory.  Mr. Tom de Ridder was my first school principal ever, a much loved educationist who left a great legacy wherever he lived, worked and operated. Is it any coincidence that his surname (de Ridder) actually is Dutch for ‘the Knight’? 

   There was a time when I also needed this Jesus from Nazareth, healer of bodies and Saviour of souls, and, when I cried out to Him, He, the KNIGHT of all knights, was there for the rescue … in fact, He was there all the time ... waiting patiently in line!  This song, When Jesus Comes, speaks of rescue and salvation. It’s a beautiful song and the first time I heard it was in Bloemfontein, South Africa in 1984 (I quote from two verses):

YouTube

When Jesus Comes

(Lyrics: Oswald J. Smith/Music: Homer Rodeheaver )

One sat alone beside the highway begging,

His eyes were blind, the light he could not see;

He clutched his rags and shivered in the shadows,

Then Jesus came and bade his darkness flee.

So men today have found the Savior able,
They could not conquer passion, lust and sin;
Their broken hearts, had left them sad and lonely,
Then Jesus came, and dwelt, Himself, within.

CHORUS:  When Jesus comes the tempter’s power is broken;

When Jesus comes the tears are wiped away.

He takes the gloom and fills the life with glory,

For all is changed when Jesus comes to stay.

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.  Andrews, Allen (1969) Quotations For Speakers And Writers. Newnes Books. London.
2.  GospelSongLyrics. Accessed At <http://www.gospelsonglyrics.org/songs/when_jesus_comes.html> [online] 2013.
3.  ThePeople'sChurch. 'Oswald J. Smith'. Accessed At <http://www.thepeopleschurch.ca/hs-oswald.asp> [online] 2013.
4.  Wikipedia. 'Homer Rodeheaver'. Accessed At <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer_Rodeheaver> [online] 2013.