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I would like to share the story line of “Benjamin’s Box” by Melody Carlson, with illustrations by Jack Stockman. The children’s book is a fictional story of a little boy that lived in Jerusalem. We walk with Benjamin during Holy Week. He will collect items (memories), to place in a box that Benjamin received from his Grandfather with straw from a babe’s manger bed over 30 years before. Grandfather said people said one day the babe would be a king. Now Benjamin has added a tuft of hair from a donkey that a man named Jesus rode into Jerusalem, a coin given to him by a man named Judas, and a broken cup from the sacrificial meal that Jesus had with his followers. Let’s continue...
After supper Jesus went to the garden to pray, Benjamin followed and had to wait at the edge of the garden. He couldn’t hear what Jesus was saying. Benjamin picked up a twig and rubbed it between his hands, he was nervous because the crowd grew angry, soldiers came, the man Judas came and kissed Jesus then the soldiers took Jesus away. Benjamin was scared and ran home. When he got home he still had the twig in his hand and put it in the box. Why would anyone want to hurt Jesus? Benjamin saw the coin that Judas had given him. Why didn’t Judas help Jesus? The next morning Eli, his friend, told him Jesus had been locked up and the crowd was cheering about Jesus’ beating. Why? Jesus hadn’t done anything wrong! Benjamin went into the city and heard the angry voices, saw the crowd’s angry faces. Benjamin looked down and saw a piece of leather from the whip the soldiers used to whip Jesus. Just then Benjamin heard a voice cheer “Hail, King of the Jews!” He pushed through the crowd and there was Jesus, his eyes were filled with?love. A soldier came up to Jesus and pushed a crown of thorns onto his head. Why are they doing this? Benjamin’s eyes filled with tears. He prayed for this to stop, over and over again. Now the crowd had moved along with Jesus, as he walked. Benjamin found a thorn on the ground and picked it up. He went home, put the piece of leather and the thorn in his box and cried. Eli came to tell Benjamin that Jesus was going to be crucified, put to death on the cross. “NO”, cried Benjamin, “He has done nothing to deserve that!” At first Benjamin did not want to go, and then decided he would be there and pray for him. On the way up the hill he saw a large spike; Benjamin tucked it in his tunic. Three crosses stood on the hill. Benjamin went to stand with a small crowd of Jesus’ friends. He couldn’t look at Jesus. He prayed over and over again, “I’m sorry, God, I’m so sorry...” Benjamin saw the soldiers gamble for Jesus’ clothes. Benjamin couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He looked at Jesus, his eyes were filled with sorrow, and pain, but, he also saw hope — maybe there would be a miracle. Everything turned black and the ground shook. Benjamin was stunned. Jesus was dead! The crowd left, Benjamin picked up a stone used for gambling. Why had God allowed it? Benjamin went home placed the spike and gambling stone in his box and looked at the collection. The strange items only filled him with unbearable sadness.
This is the end of the story, for today. What if this was the end of the story and all we are left with is a collection of items in our life that filled us with unbearable sadness. Now through the end of the week think of the humiliation, suffering, pain, abandonment that Jesus experienced. Ask yourself the questions that Benjamin cried out... Why? Ask yourself, why did Jesus love us so much? Why?
Pastor Dorothy will share the rest of the story Sunday - Easter Sunday!
Pastor Dorothy Hotchkiss of Webster’s Crossing UMC and Groveland Federated Parish.
dhotch2@frontiernet.net 585/406-7030 cell/text
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