Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the
life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never
die. Do you believe this?”
- John 11:25-26 (NIV)
“This ‘gal’ came behind me and just started punching me…”
“So I hit her back!” explained this young, female inmate. Her
heart racing like a horse as I cleansed a small cut on one of her fingers of
her right hand. The right hand swelling up. And red by the knuckles. One could
tell. Coming from the many punches she threw right back at the prisoner who she
said attacked her.
I kept listening to her. Paying attention to every other
signs and symptoms of injuries as medical staff was aware…After the treatment,
the deputy from that involved unit would write an incident report where the
treating nurse had to sign and write down what the injuries were and the
treatment plan done.
“Just keep this ice pack on your hand,” I uttered as I
started wrapping her wrist with an elastic bandage.
“This will immobilize your hand temporarily so the pain and
swelling can also go down,” I explained.
She let out a deep sigh. She started complaining again about
the other inmate and the louder she described each event when she saw our
Infirmary Deputy approached both of us. She was upset about her alleged ‘attacker’.
I looked at the deputy and he glanced back at me as if our
eyes were talking. We both must sense that the wounded prisoner I was treating
actually was the attacker. She was the
suspect.
Working in the prison for many years now, I had learned to
try to listen to both sides of a story as much as I could. Because the story
always sounded so good and true. Not until I would hear the other part…
The injury report was delivered to be signed by me…True
enough…That inmate I suspected of starting the fight was the attacker.
How many suspected Jesus as a “liar” and “not the Son of
God?” To the point that the same people who were praising Him before, wanted
Him to die on the cross days after. How quickly one’s belief or story changes!
Except the truth is…
Jesus came to die on
the cross to save humanity. It was God’s love Who put His own Son to that wooden
cross, not men’s wishes, to save humanity from sin’s death…
