Under The Bus

TITLE: Under the Bus
DATE: December 8, 2018
TEXT: Isaiah 53:7 (ESV) He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth;

Christopher Greyshock of West Milford, New Jersey, is probably a nice-enough guy. He certainly is an avid sports fan, with the New York Jets being his beloved team of choice.

I know that because of a police accident report which featured Mr. Greyshock.

The report said Mr. Greyshock’s vehicle had been involved in an accident which occurred around 5:15 on a Sunday afternoon. Being of a curious nature, the officer wondered how such a thing could have happened. In the course of finding an answer to his wondering, the officer gave Mr. Greyshock a sobriety test.
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Mr. Greyshock did not do well on the test.

Indeed, Mr. Greyshock failed the test; and he failed it big time. “But”, Mr. Greyshock said, “It’s not my fault. It’s not my fault because the Jets just lost to Buffalo by a score of 41-to-10, It’s not my fault I drank too much. I drank too much because the Jets suck.”

And that is how it came to pass, Mr. Greyshock threw the Jets under the bus.

He’s not the first person to do that sort of thing. If you want to see the first time an-under-bus-throwing happened, watch sinful Adam try to get himself off the hook before God. Without hesitation he threw Eve under the bus. Being a quick learner, Eve immediately threw the serpent under the bus.

Go to any courtroom in the land, stop by any counselor’s office, visit any home with more than one child and you will see the practice of throwing someone under the bus, elevated into an art form. The truth is, there is a lot of evil in this world, but there aren’t many people taking credit for their share of that evil.  they can’t take the blame… they’re too busy blaming someone else… they’re too busy throwing someone else under the bus.

Throwing someone else under the bus is something you will never see Jesus do.

Indeed, Jesus does just the opposite.

1. In Gethsemane, Jesus, Who never committed a sin, shouldered the sins of the entire world. He never complained about how unfair that was and He never blamed anyone else.
2. At His trials He was accused of many things, but He never defended Himself, or pointed out the witnesses against Him were lying.  
3. When He was unjustly crucified the Savior chose to forgive, rather than blame those who were responsible for placing Him there.

We shouldn’t be surprised. The Prophet Isaiah spoke about the injustice Jesus would endure and the courageous way He would respond. Isaiah wrote (ch. 53):

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

Oh, one last thing… two of the people whom Jesus didn’t throw under the bus… are you and me.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, rather than denying our sins or trying to blame others for our wrongdoing, may we confess our sins and rejoice in the forgiveness which comes to us through the Savior. In His Name I pray it. Amen.
 
Today’s devotion was inspired by various articles, amongst which is the one written by Editors of Newser and Wire Services on November 14, 2018. Those who wish may check out this link which was, at the time of writing, fully active:  http://www.newser.com/story/267257/i-drank-too-much-because-the-jets-suck.html
 
The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann, one of my long-ago  confirmands. He is singing with three brothers. This song comes from the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html