SEVERAL years ago, the teacher of a school at —, was obliged to find fault with a boy for not minding what was said to him. As he did not seem to care for words, it was found necessary to punish him, and he was therefore told to stand for a quarter of an hour in a corner of the schoolroom. As he was going there, a little boy, much younger than he, went to the teacher, and begged that he might take the naughty boy’s place — a request which astonished the teacher a good deal; but, wishing to see what would come of it, he did not ask any questions, but merely pointed out to him that, if he did as he wished, he would have to pass the whole of the time in the corner, adding, “A quarter of an hour is very long when one spends it in punishment. It is a shameful thing to be punished and in the eyes of all the visitors who may come into the school you will seem to be a naughty and unruly child.” But these words did not make him change his mind; he still chose to be put in the corner, and was allowed to have his wish.
The teacher was deeply moved, and silently prayed the Lord to give him that wisdom which cometh from above, that he might draw from what had happened some lesson useful to the souls of the children entrusted to his charge.
There stood the little boy, patiently bearing the punishment due to another, until the time was up lie was then asked whether the other boy had led him to take his place?
“No, sir,” he answered.
“Then did you think that he did not deserve to be punished?”
“Oh,” said he, “he deserved it well.”
“What, then, was the feeling which led you to bear the punishment in his place?”
“Sir,” he answered, “it was because I love him.”
What a touching reply! The other children had been earnestly watching all that took place; and when the teacher, to try them, ordered the disobedient boy to go in his turn into the corner, there was at once a loud outcry against it. “Oh, sir, that would not be right — that would not be right “cried many little voices. “Nor just either,” added one of the boldest.
“Why would it not be just?” asked the teacher; “has not your schoolfellow disobeyed?”
“Yes, sir; but you let Joseph be punished in his place, so you ought not to punish him.”
“Does what has happened call back anything to your mind?” asked the teacher.
“Yes, sir,” said several; “it reminds us that the Lord Jesus bore the punishment of our sins.”
“What name would you give to Joseph now?”
“That of Substitute.”
“What is a substitute?”
“One who stands in the place of another.”
“What place has Jesus taken?”
“That of sinners.”
“Joseph has told us that he wished to take his schoolfellow’s place, and be punished instead of him, because he loved him. Why did Jesus wish to die in the place of sinners?”
“Because he loved us.”
“You told me just now that it would be neither right nor just to put the naughty boy in the corner after punishing Joseph in his place: what do we learn from this?”
“That God will never punish any sinner who believes in Jesus Christ as his Saviour. And,” added quite a little boy, “he never will do so; for the Bible tells us that ‘God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)).”
The teacher and the children talked a long time together about the grace and love of God, and spoke of him “who was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities; by whose stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:55But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)) —even the Lord Jesus Christ.