Peter Ramsay posted on November 14, 2005 00:00
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Ahmed, a Palestinian boy was playing outside his home in the town of
Jenin in the West Bank. Nearby there was skirmish between the Israeli
and Palestinian forces. The Israeli troops mistook the 12 year old boy
for a suspected gunman. The child held in his hand a plastic toy gun
with an imitation telescopic sight.
The boy suffered life
threatening wounds to his head and stomach and was rushed first to a
Palestinian Hospital and then to a better-equipped Israeli Medical
Center. But young Ahmed was quickly placed on life support and the
medical team determined his condition to be hopeless.
A broken
hearted Palestinian family gathered at the hospital to make a decision.
We can only imagine the deep emotions that would have wrenched the
heart of Ahmed’s parents as they saw their innocent little boy dying
from wounds inflicted by the Israeli soldiers.
As they said
goodbye to their son, Ismail al-Khatib and his wife chose to send a
message of peace to the world and to those who shot their son. The
desire of their heart was to donate their son’s organs to whoever was
in need of them, whether it was for a Jewish child, or an Arab child –
whether they were Muslim or Christian. Ismail, the boy’s father said
the family had a “message for the world.” “Peace for everyone.” (1)
Who
benefited from the organ’s of the slain boy? Six Israeli children. A
father of a twelve year old girl who received Ahmed’s heart said: “I don’t know what to say. It’s a gesture of love.”
For Ahmed’s father he said: “The most important thing is that I see the person who received the organs to see him alive.”
Israel’s Parliament Speaker, Reuven Rivlin, touched by such
generosity told Parliament, “This remarkable gesture, despite the war
and conflict without solution for nearly 100 years, must be noted.”
I
have a son and I can not imagine what my feelings would be towards the
person who would cause his death. Naturally speaking we would be filled
with bitterness and struggle with thoughts of revenge.
This sad
but beautiful story reminded me of an even more amazing real-life
story. The human race had a long history of fighting against God. We
were at war with God. We were the enemies of God. God so wanted to have
peace because He loved us so much that He gave up His only unique Son,
the Lord Jesus Christ to an horrific death. He even allowed the enemies
to spit at His Son, to mock Him and to nail Him to the Cross. He saw
all this happen. But He so wanted the enemies to be reconciled to
Himself, that He gave up the Lord Jesus to the death of the Cross.
Romans 5:10 "When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son..."
The innocent One, took the penalty for the sins of the enemy and
died in the enemy’s place. Why? It was a gesture of love. A message of
peace for troubled sinners who have been fighting against God all their
lives. By the death of His Son, He made it possible for the enemy, the
sinner to be reconciled to God.
Just as those who received the
organs of 12 year old Ahmed benefited physically in life, you will
benefit by receiving God’s Son today. Spiritual life. Eternal life will
be yours if you receive God’s Son.
Will you receive Him today as
your personal Saviour? To reject God’s generous offer of peace and love
will result in you being outside of Heaven for ever. God does not want
you to go to Hell and to suffer eternally. He wants to give you life
and peace and full forgiveness today.
(1) http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/30945.htm, November 08, 2005