The Ballad of Jeremiah Smithson

"We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5: 20-21

Jeremiah Smithson lived during the time that we like to call the "Wild West." Gold Rush, Saloons, Sheriffs, and Sarsaparilla come to mind when we think of this colorful time in American history. For Jeremiah Smithson though, the only thing "wild" about the West that he lived in, was his son Jacob. While Jeremiah was straight laced, hard working, and a religious man - his son Jacob, now 19, had grown into a hard drinking, violent, lazy and dangerous man. Jacob was regularly involved in gun play, brawling, looting and anything else you could imagine a man with a black hat doing in the Wild West.

As Jacob became more and more notorious and feared throughout the west, his father continued to love him, and daily pleaded with him to turn his life around. His father's heart ached for his beloved son. He was the only one who still saw a glimmer of hope and goodness when he gazed upon Jacob - to everyone else, he was a dangerous powder keg ready to go off.

Finally, one dry and dusty day...Jacob did go off - at 5pm on a Thursday afternoon, a heavily intoxicated Jacob stumbled into the house of a local family eating dinner. He proceeded to shoot and kill the Father and the Mother leaving their 3 young children orphans. Jacob stumbled out of the house with a chicken drumstick in his hands only to pass out on the roadside in front of the house he devastated.

Jacob was quickly arrested, put in jail, and set to be hanged the next day at noon - much to the satisfaction and relief of the town. Everyone in town that is...except for Jeremiah, his father. For where the town saw a monster, he saw a hurt and confused little boy, desperately in need of some grace and a second chance. Jeremiah went and pleaded with the officials for mercy upon his son, but they were hearing none of it. Their law clearly said that when one took a life, one needed to give up a life - that was justice. And while Jeremiah certainly could not argue with that, he still was willing to do whatever he could to prevent the hanging death of his son, Jacob whom he loved.

As Jacob was brought forth to the gallows, the whole of the town was gathered to bear witness to Wild West justice. The noose was forcefully fastened around Jacob's neck, when the Sheriff asked him if he had anything to say for himself. Jacob, looked out and over the crowd assembled, and with tears of regret in his eyes, humbly told the crowd, "What I did was wrong. I am sorry for killing those innocent folks. And I am sorry for all the other harmful things I did to the rest of you. Truth is, I deserve this - but I tell you what, if I had to live my life over again, I would do it differently. I would live my life like my Father...a good man, and the only one who ever saw any good or hope in me. My biggest regret is that I let my Father down." With that he put his head down resigned to die, even as his Father was pushing his way forward to speak with the Sheriff.

All the crowd could see was Jeremiah speaking animatedly with the Sheriff, gesturing wildly with his hands - they could not help but feel sorrow for such a kind and pure man. After a moment of conversation, the Sheriff walked over to Jacob, all the while leading Jeremiah up to the gallows behind him. He ordered the noose taken off of Jacob's neck and put on Jeremiah's. As the crowd looked upon this scene with stunned and confused faces, the Sheriff clearly and loudly stated, "The law simply says, one life taken, one life given - this is justice. This here man, Jeremiah Smithson, willingly offers to take the place of his son in order to receive the blow of justice due him. His life, for the freedom of his son. This may seem unusual, but I see no legal reason why he cannot do so."

With that, Jacob was escorted down the wooden stairs, and Jeremiah prepared to hang. His last words were these, "son, I love you, and I implore you now, to walk upright." With that, the creaky wooden trap door opened, and Jeremiah Smithson was no more.

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

The ballad of Jeremiah is our gospel story - the story of a loving father unwilling to watch his children perish in their sins, even to the point of taking our place at the meting out of justice.

I wonder how Jacob responded to his new lease on life purchased for him by his father. I would like to think that he sought to live an upright life like his father did.

How will you respond in the living of your eternal life, purchased for you with great sacrifice and deep love?

Be God's, Scott