Johnnie, can you read?” asked a servant of the Lord of a boy who was anxious about his soul.
“Yes, a little bit, sir.”
Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.”
“That was nicely read, my boy. But I suppose you don’t know Greek?”
“No, I scarcely know English yet!”
“Well said. But if you ever do learn to read your Greek Testament, you will find that in this passage ‘just’ is in the singular, and ‘unjust’ is in the plural. You know what singular means?”
“It means one—only one.”
“That’s right. And what does plural. You know what singular means?”
“It means one—only one.”
“That’s right. And what does plural mean?”
“More than one.”
“It does. Now who is the singular in this Scripture —who is the just One?”
“Jesus.”
“Yes, Jesus. And who are those in the plural—who are the unjust ones?” “Everybody,”
“That includes you, does it not?” “Yes,” said Johnnie, looking quite sad. “And what about the ‘us’— ‘that he might bring us to God?’ Does that include you too
“I suppose it does, sir.”
“Don’t suppose, Johnnie, be sure. Think about it. Are you included in the ‘us’?”
Johnnie did think, and presently he said, slowly, thoughtfully, believingly,
“I see it now. Yes, I’m sure of it now. I am not left out. I am one of ‘the unjust ones’ and I am one of the ‘us’ too.”
Thus Johnnie accepted Jesus as his Saviour. And when he wrote his name in his Bible, what do you think he wrote?
JOHNNIE JONES,
Jesus—for—me
“The Just for the unjust”
And you, dear boy and girl, if you receive Jesus as your own Saviour, can write under your name,
“Jesus—for—me.”
ML 04/28/1940