Leviticus 16:3-34 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.… During the Franco-Prussian War, an English clergyman was travelling in the district occupied by the German army. There he met a German gentleman, whose route lay in the same direction, and quickly becoming friends, they resolved to accompany each other. As they walked out one day they saw a small company of soldiers come out of the camp with a handcuffed prisoner in their midst. Wondering what was about to be done, they waited until the party had approached, then asked the officer what they were going to do with that man. "Shoot him." "Why?" "He has been robbing the dead, and by the law of the land he must die." "Poor man," said the clergyman, "is he prepared to die?" "I do not know," replied the officer, "but you can speak to him if you like." The minister at once took advantage of the permission, and began to speak to the prisoner about his soul. He had not spoken long when the wretched man burst into tears. The clergyman stopped, thinking something he had said had broken him down, but he was speedily undeceived by the man exclaiming, "Oh, sir, I am not weeping because of anything you have said, or because I am going to die; I am weeping because I do not know what will become of my wife and children when I am gone." These words touched the old German gentleman, who said as he gazed with tears in his eyes at the prisoner, "I tell you what. I have no one in the world to feel my loss. I shall take your place, and as your law demands a life I shall lay down mine." And turning to the officer, he continued, "Now, please, take off these handcuffs and put them on me." "But," interposed the Englishman, "think what you are doing; is there no one who will miss you?" "No one." "Well," said the officer, as soon as he had recovered from his amazement, "I have no power to do what you wish, but you can come to the camp and hear what the general says." But it turned out the general had not the power: the general, however, said, "The Crown Prince is here, and he has the power." To the Crown Prince they went, and when he heard the strange story he was very much affected. "Our laws," he said, "will not admit of a substitute being executed for another, but though I cannot take your life, I can give you a present of this man's life. He is yours." The prince could pardon, but God cannot pardon without a Substitute, even Jesus who died in our stead that we might live. (W. Thompson.) Parallel Verses KJV: Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. |
    |