Deep in a wild section of North America where the red man still followed his traditional way of life, a preacher of the gospel was seeking to bring before these children of the forest "Christ Jesus, and Him crucified."
The preacher spoke of the love of the Good Shepherd who came into the world to seek and to save the lost. He told how this Savior met the rude buffetings of the heartless soldiers, and the mockery and scorn of the ungrateful Jews. He drew a word picture of Gethsemane, and the crucified Nazarene bleeding upon the cross. He told his wild congregation how the loving Jesus was stricken, smitten of God and afflicted; wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. He told the Indians that all men like sheep have gone astray, that all have turned, every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all, the Lord Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down His life for the naughty sheep.
Soon there was a slight movement in the assembly, and a tall son of the forest, with tears on his dark cheeks, approached the rude pulpit. Brokenly he said, "Did Jesus die for me—die for poor Indian?"
"Yes," said the preacher, "Jesus died for sinners."
"Me give Jesus," replied the Indian, "my dog, my rifle."
"Jesus," said the preacher, "does not want those gifts."
"Me give Jesus my blanket, too. Poor Indian he got no lands to give Jesus—white man take them away. Poor Indian got no more to give."
The preacher replied, "Jesus is now risen, and is in heaven at the right hand of God, and He can and will receive those who believe in Him."
The poor, ignorant, but open-hearted child of the forest bent his head in sorrowful thought. Finally he raised his head, spread his arms wide, and with his eye fixed on the preacher, he sobbed out, "Here is poor Indian! Will Jesus have him?"
A thrill of unutterable joy ran through the souls of the preacher and of the natives gathered there, as this fierce son of the wilderness thus gave himself as a trophy of the constraining love of Christ.
"He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:11, 12.