The Prince And The Pauper

“We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God.  That is why we must hold on to what we have said about him.  Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are.  But he did not sin!  So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God.  There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.”

Hebrews 4:14-16 (CEV) 

In the story of The Prince And The Pauper by Mark Twain, the Prince lives in luxury but wants to experience how his subjects live, so he trades places with a pauper who resembles him.  When he hears his father has died and wants to return to the palace, no one believes he is the Prince.  They scoff at him and mistreat him.  In the end he does get back to the Palace, but just in the nick of time to take up his rightful place in the Coronation ceremony. 

In many ways this story reminds me of the story of Jesus.  The song ‘Immanuel’ by Stuart Townend gives me goosebumps as we sing, “From the squalor of a borrowed stable, By the Spirit and a virgin’s faith, To the anguish and the shame of scandal, Came the Saviour of the human race……..King of Heaven now the friend of sinners…..Immanuel!  Immanuel means ‘God with us’–He gave up his majesty to be born as a baby and live as a mortal man, experiencing the temptations, joys and trials of humanity.  Hebrews 5:8-9 (KJV) says, “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”  

People scoffed at him and mistreated him when he told them he was the Son of God.  They even killed him.  In Hebrews 2:9-10 (KJV) we read, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.  For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”  

Jesus Christ will return just in the nick of time before mankind destroys itself (Matthew 24:3, 21-22), to be crowned Lord of Lords and King of Kings (Matthew 24:30 and Revelation 17:14).  

Prayer

Praise be to the King of Kings; blessings and glory be to the Lord of Lords, whose love and mercy towards us knows no end!  Thank you for the salvation you offer freely to all of us paupers through the Prince of Life.

Amen 

Study by Nancy Silcox