Na sudu
(Za decu i one koji veruju kao deca)
Napisala: Aloiz Selnis
Zamislite da ste na sudu. Sudija je seo u svoju fotelju. Lice mu je jako ozbiljno i zamišljeno. Na njemu je velika odgovornost. Optuženi je ustao i primakao se svom advokatu, koji je sedeo za stolom.
Okružni tužilac je seo za drugi sto. Ovo će biti težak sudski proces. Okružni tužilac je naporno radio na ispitivanju krivice okrivljenog. Osećao je da je uradio dobar posao sa svim prikupljenim materijalima i dokazima koje je izneo. Nikako nije mogao da razume kako se ovaj čovek brani jednostavnom tvrdnjom da nije kriv, kada svi dokazi ukazuju da je kriv… ili to samo tako izgleda?
U sudnici je vladala tišina. Svi su čekali šta će sudija da kaže. Kakva će biti njegova presuda odnosno odluka? Na kraju, sudija je rekao: „Kriv je !“ Okrivljeni je osuđen na mnogo godina u teškim zatvorskim uslovima. Niko nije verovao prigovoru okrivljenog da je nevin.
Mnogo godina posle ovog sudskog procesa, uhvaćena je jedna osoba koja je, pored počinjenog prekršaja, priznala i zločin za koji je greškom osuđen nevin čovek sa početka naše priče. Naravno da su onog prvog oslobodili, ali niko nije mogao da mu vrati godine koje je nepravedno proveo u zatvoru.
Sigurno mislite: „Kako je ovo nepravedno.“
Sve ovo me podseća ne jedan drugi sudski proces koji je isto tako bio nepravedan, jako predvidiv i iznenađujuće neobičan. Dogodio se pre više od dve hiljade godina.
Čovek kojem se sudilo nije bio alkoholičar, ni lopov, ni ubica. Nikada nije počinio nikakav zločin ili neko drugo delo nasilja. Nekada ga je pratilo veliko mnoštvo naroda zato što je činio mnoga čuda i zato što je pomagao ljudima. Ovaj čovek nikada nije učinio ni jedno loše delo, bio je savršen. Govorio je o vaskrsenju iz mrtvih, kada će svi oni koji su umrli ponovo da ožive i to zauvek. Zar vam nije čudno što su ovakvu osobu izveli pred sud kao zločinca? Evo kako je do toga došlo.
Jedne noći poveo je ovaj čovek svoja tri najbolja druga u jedan miran vrt, daleko od gomile ljudi, da se u miru i tišini mole. Malo kasnije čuli su kako tišinu i mir noći remeti grupa ljudi koja im se približavala. Ko li to može biti noću napolju? Već su primetili i svetla od baklji onih koji su im se približavali. Kada se mnoštvo približilo dovoljno da mogu da prepoznaju njihova lica, primetili su jednog prijatelja sa kojim su često bili u društvu. Zašto je usred noći u vrt doveo vojnike i sveštenike? Istina je bila da se on samo pretvarao da je bio njihov prijatelj. Došao je samo zato da vojnicima da znak i pokaže osobu koju su hteli da uhvate.
Sa kakvom li se neobičnom i velikom pompom ova grupa kasnije vraćala u grad!
Zatvorenik je bio vezan, okružen i predvođen vojnicima sa izvučenim mačevima. Mnoštvo naroda ih je pratilo. Zatvorenik je pitao: „Zašto ste me vezali? Često sam boravio među vama u gradu i u hramu. Zašto idete za mnom sa kopljima i držite me vezanog kao da sam neki zločinac?“
Iako je još bila noć, zatvorenik je bio doveden u palatu prvosveštenika na saslušanje.
Okupili su se svi značajni ljudi.
Svojim učenjem, ovaj čovek je uznemirio verske vođe. Odlučili su da jedini način kako da ga zaustave jeste da ga ubiju.
„Šta možeš reči u svoju odbranu?“ smejali su mu se. Nije odgovarao. Bili su im potrebni ljudi koji bi mogli da ga optuže, koji bi rekli nešto protiv njega. Nisu mogli naći nikoga ko je video da je ovaj čovek uradio nešto loše. Na kraju su ipak pronašli dva svedoka koji su bili spremni da lažno svedoče protiv njega (Matej 26:59-61). Kada je zatvorenik na kraju progovorio, rekao je da je Sin Božiji. Prvosveštenik je izjavio: „Zar su nam potrebne još neke optužbe?“
„Kriv je, zaslužio je smrt! Izjavio je za sebe da je Bog!“ vikalo je mnoštvo.
Međutim, ove verske vođe su imale jedan problem. Prema svom zakonu nisu mogli da osude osobu na smrt (Jovan 18:31). Smrtna kazna je mogla da dođe samo od rimskog upravitelja. Trebalo je da povedu zatvorenika pred njega i da ga ubede da je ovaj čovek zaslužio smrt.
Jako rano ujutro, čim je to bilo moguće, poveli su zatvorenika u sudnicu, u kojoj je sudija bio rimski upravitelj, koji se zvao Pilat.
Ovaj je pitao tužioca: „Šta je vaša optužba? Kakvo zlo je ovaj čovek učinio?“
Odgovorili su: „Da nije kriv, ne bi smo ga doveli pred tebe – zar ne?“ Pozvali su lažne svedoke, one koji su pristali da lažu protiv zatvorenika. Zatvorenik je odbio da odgovara na njihove lažne optužbe.
Po svemu sudeći, Pilat je smatrao ovo svedočenje za lažno, zato je zatvorenika poveo da ga nasamo sasluša. U svom srcu je dobro znao da je okrivljeni nevin i da nije zaslužio nikakvu kaznu, a ponajmanje smrtnu kaznu. (Matej 27:18) Na kraju se vratio razbesnelom mnoštvu i rekao je: „Ne nalazim nikakve krivice na njemu.“
Sada je sudija imao problem. Sa jedne strane čovek za kojeg je verovao da je nevin, a sa druge strane razbesnela masa ljudi koja je želela da ubije zatvorenika. Iz mase se čulo kako je neko viknuo: „U Galileji diže narod na bunu!“ Tada se sudija dosetio nečeg.
Upravnik Galileje, koji se zvao Irod, upravo je došao u grad. Neka Irod sudi ovom zatvoreniku. Pilat je jako želeo da se oslobodi ovog zatvorenika. I tako su zatvorenika poslali na sud kod Iroda.
Irodu je bilo drago da može da vidi ovog čoveka o kojem je tako mnogo slušao. Čuo je za čuda koja je učinio, o tome kako je mnoge ljude ozdravio, kako je slepima vratio vid. Nadao se da će sada i sam da vidi neko čudo. Međutim, ubrzo je shvatio da se ovo ne može mešati sa sudskim procesom. I tako je zatvorenika poslao nazad kod Pilata.
Pilat je bio primoran da donese presudu o tome da li je ovaj čovek u očima suda kriv ili nije kriv. Pilat je izjavio: „Ne nalazim nikakve krivice na ovom čoveku. Nije kriv.“
Ako bi ovaj čovek na pravednom sudu bio proglašen da je nevin, trebalo bi da ga oslobode i da ga puste. Međutim, Pilat se plašio razbesnele mase. Jako ih je molio da ublaže kaznu. Da li možete da zamislite ovu situaciju? Pilat je naredio vojnicima da ovu nevinu osobu išibaju i da ga puste.
Na svu ovu Pilatovu muku, prilazi mu i njegova žena i kaže mu: „Nemoj se ti ništa mešati u stvar onoga pravednika jer sam danas u snu mnogo prepatila zbog njega. Biće najbolje da ga pustiš.“ (Matej 27:19)
Sada uopšte nije bilo sumnje u Pilatovu procenu zatvorenika i u njegovo mišljenje da je ovaj čovek neobičan. On je zaista bio onaj za koga se izdavao. On je stvarno bio Božiji Sin sa neba, Isus – Bog, koji je došao na zemlju kao čovek.
Ali, narod nije verovao da je on Bog. Sve glasnije su vikali protiv njega. Pilat se plašio da će se dogoditi nešto loše, i zato je rekao: „Šta želite da uradim sa Isusom?“
Masa je vikala: „Raspni ga! Raspni ga!“
Pilat je pitao: „Šta loše je učinio?“
Masa je još glasnije vikala: „Raspni ga!“ Sada je već bilo jako teško da ih zaustavi. Kada je Pilat video kakva je situacija i da neće biti moguće da ih savlada, rekao je nešto vrlo čudno. Naredio je sluzi da mu donese posudu sa vodom.
Pilat je pred svima oprao ruke i rekao: „Nevin sam, nisam odgovoran za smrt ovog pravednog čoveka. Sada je njegov život u vašim rukama.“
Međutim, voda nije mogla da opere Pilatovu krivicu. Voda nikada ne može da spere laž koju kažeš, ne može da spere gnev. Ništa od toga što mi možemo da uradimo, ne može da spere naše pogreške i grehe (Tit 3:5). Pošto je oprao ruke, Pilat je naredio vojnicima da odvedu zatvorenika.
Vojnici su išibali Gospoda Isusa, sve dok sav nije bio u krvi i poplaveo. Umesto u njegovu odeću, obukli su ga u purpurno odelo. Rugali su mu se i glumili pred njim kao da je car. Car ima krunu, i zato su u neslanoj šali napravili krunu od trnja koju su nabili na glavu ovog nevinog čoveka. Smejali su mu se i zbijali šale ne račun savršenog Božijeg Sina. Pljuvali su mu u lice i vukli ga za bradu i brkove. Da li se i vama ponekad dogodi da ste grubi i nasilni? Da li ste se i vi nekada smejali i pravili šale na račun Svetog Pisma ili veroučitelja? To je takođe greh.
Kada su mu se već dosta narugali, skinuli su mu purpurnu odeću i obukli mu njegovu odeću i dali mu težak krst, koji je trebalo da nosi na brdo van grada. Ali, on je bio tako slab od šibanja i surovog postupanja prema njemu da nije mogao da ga nosi. Pozvali su jednog čoveka iz mnoštva da ponese njegov krst. Kada su izašli na brdo zvano Golgota, zakucali su njegove ruke i noge na krst.
Razapeli su čoveka koji nikada nije sagrešio i koji u svome životu nikada nije uradio ništa loše.
Bilo je tačno podne kada je ovaj nevin čovek bio ubijen. Kako li je strašno nepravedno bilo njegovo suđenje! Na tom suđenju niko nije ustao da brani ovog nevinog zatvorenika.
Zašto Bog nije učinio nešto? Na kraju krajeva, On je mogao nešto da uradi! Nije uradio ništa zato što nas je jako voleo. Bog je dozvolio da Njegov Sin prihvati smrtnu kaznu umesto tebe i umesto mene. Kaznu koju smo za loša dela koja smo uradili, zaslužili mi. Greh mora da bude kažnjen. Gospod Isus nije morao da ostane na onom krstu, mogao je da pozove hiljade anđela koji bi uništili njegove neprijatelje. Ali, On je dobrovoljno umro zato što nas je voleo. Želeo je da svi ljudi, ti i ja, dobijemo oproštenje greha i da zauvek živimo sa Njim na nebu.
Čini se da je za vreme sudskog procesa i razapinjanja Bog ćutao. On je, međutim, za sve ljude imao jednu poruku. Bog je govorio na dva načina:
Iako je bilo podne, zastrašujuća tama je prekrila zemlju. Da sam tada bio tamo, mislim da bih se uplašio. Dok je bio na krstu, Gospod Isus je razgovarao sa svojim nebeskim Ocem: „Bože moj, Bože moj, zašto si me ostavio?“ Nebeski Otac se okrenuo od svog Sina, zato što su na Njemu bili svi naši gresi, naše ružne reči i naša neposlušnost. A savršeni, sveti Bog ne može da gleda na greh. To su bili naši gresi, zbog kojih se Bog okrenuo od Gospoda Isusa. Gospod Isus se sigurno osećao jako usamljen. Sigurno mu je bilo teško što su svi njegovi prijatelji pobegli od njega. Ali, to što ga je napustio i njegov nebeski Otac bilo mu je neuporedivo teže.
Zatim su svi čuli Gospoda Isusa kako kaže: „Svršeno je!“
Delo Gospoda Isusa, u kojem je na sebe preuzeo kaznu za naše grehe, je jednom zauvek bilo svršeno. „Hristos je umro za naše grehe – po Pismu“. Sve ovo se dogodilo tačno kako to piše u Svetom pismu. Gospod Isus je bio kažnjen za tvoje grehe, a tebi ne preostaje ništa drugo nego da prihvatiš istinu o svom grehu, da se pokaješ za sva loša dela koja si uradio. Veruj da je za tvoje grehe bilo neizbežno da Gospod Isus umre. Poveruj da je umro za tebe i prihvati ga za svog Spasitelja.
Bog nije govorio samo kroz tamu, već i kroz zemljotres. Zemlja se tresla i stene su pucale. U zemlji su se otvarale velike pukotine. Rimski oficir, koji je nadgledao razapinjanje, prepoznao je da kroz tamu i zemljotres govori Bog, i zato je u strahu rekao: „Ovaj je zaista bio Božiji Sin!“
Gospod Isus je umro. Oni, koji su bili kod krsta mislili su da su ovo poslednje Božije reči. Tužni prijatelji su skinuli telo Gospoda Isusa sa krsta i sahranili ga u grobu u vrtu.
Međutim, Bog još nije rekao svoju poslednju reč. Posle tri dana, nekoliko prijatelja Gospoda Isusa posetili su njegov grob.
Otkrili su da u njemu nema tela Gospoda Isusa. U početku su bili zbunjeni. Posle su saznali šta se dogodilo. Anđeo im je preneo Božiju poruku: „Vaskrsnuo je!“
Vaskrsnuo je! On je živ! Njegovi prijatelji su bili jako srećni. Gospod Isus nije mrtav. Ponovo je bio živ! Ovo je bilo kao da je Bog, taj jedini pravedan sudija izjavio: „On je nevin! Moj Sin Isus je savršen i bez greha.“ Da, „Hristos je umro za naše grehe – po Pismu, i sahranjen je i vaskrsnut trećega dana – po Pismu“, 1. Korinćanima 15:3-4.
Sve se dogodilo upravo tako, kako je Bog u svojoj reči, Svetom pismu rekao. Rekao je da je kazna za smrt u potpunosti podnešena.
Bog još uvek nije završio sa svojim govorom. I danas govori tebi i meni kroz svoju reč.
Predivno je i ohrabrujuće je da znamo da je Gospod Isus vaskrsnuo i da je ponovo živ. U Svetom pismu čitamo da ćemo i mi da vaskrsnemo iz mrtvih. Mnogi ljudi razmišljaju šta će im se dogoditi posle smrti. Pre mnogo stotina godina, jedan čovek se pitao: „Kada čovek umre, može li se u život vratiti?“ (Jov 14:14). Božija reč na ovo pitanje daje odgovor – zato što je Gospod Isus oživeo, i mi ćemo oživeti.
Ako do sada nisi poverovao u Gospoda Isusa i ako ga još nisi prihvatio da bude tvoj Spasitelj od greha, možeš da to uradiš upravo sada. U molitvi mu priznaj svoje grehe, moli ga da ti ih oprosti i zahvali mu što je na krstu umro za tebe.
English
At the Trial
(For children and those who believe like children)
Written by: Aloiz Selnis
Imagine you’re in a courtroom. The judge has taken his seat. His face is very serious and thoughtful. He carries a heavy responsibility. The accused has stood up and approached his lawyer, who sits at a table.
The district attorney has sat at the other table. This will be a difficult trial. The prosecutor has worked hard to investigate the accused’s guilt. He feels confident in the case he’s built and all the evidence he’s presented. He can’t understand how this man can claim he’s innocent when all the evidence points to guilt… or does it only appear that way?
The courtroom is silent. Everyone waits to hear what the judge will say. What will his verdict—his decision—be? Finally, the judge declares: “Guilty!” The accused is sentenced to many years in harsh prison conditions. No one believed his claim of innocence.
Years later, someone was arrested who, in addition to other crimes, confessed to the very crime for which the first man had been wrongly convicted. Of course, the innocent man was released, but no one could return the years he had unjustly spent in prison.
You’re probably thinking: “This is so unfair.”
This reminds me of another trial—also deeply unfair, highly predictable, and astonishingly strange. It happened more than two thousand years ago.
The man who was tried was not an alcoholic, a thief, or a murderer. He had never committed any crime or act of violence. Large crowds often followed him because he performed miracles and helped people. He had never done anything wrong—he was perfect. He spoke of the resurrection from the dead, when all who have died would come back to life forever. Doesn’t it seem strange that such a person would be brought before a court as a criminal? Here’s how it happened.
One night, this man took his three closest friends to a peaceful garden, far from the crowds, to pray quietly. Later, they heard a group approaching, disturbing the peace of the night. Who could it be at this hour? They saw the lights of torches getting closer. As the group came near enough to see their faces, they noticed a familiar one—a friend they had often spent time with. Why had he brought soldiers and priests into the garden in the middle of the night? The truth was, he had only pretended to be their friend. He had come to give a signal to the soldiers and point out the man they wanted to arrest.
What a strange and dramatic return to the city!
The prisoner was bound, surrounded by soldiers with drawn swords. A crowd followed them. The prisoner asked, “Why have you bound me? I was often among you in the city and in the temple. Why do you come after me with spears, treating me like a criminal?”
Though it was still night, the prisoner was brought before the high priest for questioning.
All the important men had gathered.
This man’s teaching had troubled the religious leaders. They decided that the only way to stop him was to kill him.
“What do you say in your defense?” they mocked him. He didn’t answer. They needed people to accuse him—to testify against him. But no one could be found who had seen him do anything wrong. Eventually, they found two witnesses willing to lie about him (Matthew 26:59–61). When the prisoner finally spoke, he said he was the Son of God. The high priest declared, “What more accusations do we need?”
“He’s guilty! He deserves to die! He claimed to be God!” the crowd shouted.
But the religious leaders had a problem. Their law didn’t allow them to sentence someone to death (John 18:31). Only the Roman governor could give a death sentence. They needed to take the prisoner to him and convince him that this man deserved to die.
Very early in the morning, as soon as possible, they brought the prisoner to court, where the judge was the Roman governor, Pilate.
Pilate asked the accusers, “What is your charge? What evil has this man done?”
They replied, “If he weren’t guilty, we wouldn’t have brought him to you, right?” They called false witnesses—those willing to lie about the prisoner. The prisoner refused to answer their false accusations.
Apparently, Pilate recognized these testimonies as lies, so he took the prisoner aside to question him privately. In his heart, he knew the accused was innocent and didn’t deserve any punishment—certainly not death (Matthew 27:18). He returned to the angry crowd and said, “I find no guilt in him.”
Now the judge had a problem. On one hand, a man he believed to be innocent. On the other, an angry mob demanding his death. Then someone in the crowd shouted, “He stirs up the people in Galilee!” That gave Pilate an idea.
The ruler of Galilee, Herod, was in town. Let Herod judge this prisoner. Pilate desperately wanted to be rid of this case. So they sent the prisoner to Herod.
Herod was happy to finally see this man he’d heard so much about—about the miracles he had done, the people he had healed, the blind who received sight. He hoped to witness a miracle himself. But he soon realized this wasn’t a magic show—it was a trial. So he sent the prisoner back to Pilate.
Pilate was forced to deliver a verdict—guilty or not guilty. He said: “I find no guilt in this man. He is not guilty.”
On a just court, such a declaration should mean the man is released. But Pilate feared the crowd. He begged them to lessen the punishment. Can you imagine this? Pilate ordered the soldiers to whip the innocent man and then release him.
As if this weren’t enough, Pilate’s wife came to him and said, “Don’t get involved with that righteous man. I’ve suffered much in a dream because of him. You should let him go” (Matthew 27:19).
There was no longer any doubt in Pilate’s mind. This man was truly who he claimed to be. He really was God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, God in human form.
But the people didn’t believe he was God. They shouted even louder against him. Pilate was afraid something terrible would happen, so he asked, “What should I do with Jesus?”
The crowd screamed, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
Pilate asked, “What evil has he done?”
They only shouted louder: “Crucify him!” It became nearly impossible to calm them. Seeing this, Pilate did something strange. He called for a bowl of water.
He washed his hands in front of everyone and said, “I am innocent of this righteous man’s blood. His death is on your hands now.”
But water could not wash away Pilate’s guilt. Water can’t wash away lies, or anger. Nothing we can do on our own can cleanse our mistakes and sins (Titus 3:5). After washing his hands, Pilate ordered the soldiers to take the prisoner away.
The soldiers whipped the Lord Jesus until he was bloody and bruised. They dressed him in a purple robe instead of his own. They mocked him, pretending he was a king. And since a king needs a crown, they made one out of thorns and pressed it onto his head. They laughed and made fun of the perfect Son of God. They spit in his face, pulled his beard and mustache. Have you ever been rough or violent? Have you ever mocked the Bible or a religion teacher? That too is sin.
After they had mocked him enough, they took off the purple robe and gave him back his own clothes, along with a heavy cross he had to carry to a hill outside the city. But he was too weak from the beatings to carry it. So they called someone from the crowd to carry it for him. When they reached the hill called Golgotha, they nailed his hands and feet to the cross.
They crucified a man who had never sinned—who had never done anything wrong.
It was exactly noon when this innocent man was killed. How terribly unfair his trial had been! No one stood up to defend him.
Why didn’t God do something? After all, He could have! But He didn’t because He loved us. God allowed His Son to accept the death penalty in your place and mine. We deserved punishment for our sins. Jesus didn’t have to stay on that cross. He could’ve called thousands of angels to destroy his enemies. But He chose to die because He loved us. He wanted all people—you and me—to be forgiven and live with Him in heaven forever.
It may have seemed that during the trial and crucifixion, God was silent. But He had something to say to everyone. God spoke in two ways:
Although it was noon, darkness covered the earth. If I had been there, I think I would’ve been terrified. While on the cross, the Lord Jesus spoke to His heavenly Father: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” God the Father turned away from His Son because all our sins—our cruel words, our disobedience—were upon Him. A holy, perfect God cannot look at sin. These were our sins that caused God to turn away from Jesus. Jesus must have felt terribly alone. It hurt that all his friends had fled. But it was far worse that even His heavenly Father had turned away.
Then everyone heard Jesus say: “It is finished!”
The work of the Lord Jesus—taking our punishment for sin—was completely finished. “Christ died for our sins—according to the Scriptures.” All of this happened exactly as God said in His Word. Jesus was punished for your sins. All you need to do is accept the truth about your sin, repent for the wrong things you’ve done. Believe that it was necessary for Jesus to die for your sins. Believe He died for you and accept Him as your Savior.
God didn’t just speak through darkness—He also spoke through an earthquake. The earth shook, rocks split, and cracks opened. The Roman officer overseeing the crucifixion recognized that this was God speaking through darkness and the earthquake. In fear, he said: “Surely this was the Son of God!”
Jesus died. Those who stood at the cross thought these were God’s final words. His grieving friends took His body down and laid Him in a garden tomb.
But God hadn’t spoken His final word yet. Three days later, some of Jesus’ friends came to visit the tomb.
They found it empty. At first, they were confused. But then they learned what had happened. An angel gave them God’s message: “He has risen!”
He has risen! He’s alive! His friends were overjoyed. Jesus isn’t dead. He’s alive again! This was like God—the only true and righteous judge—declaring: “He is innocent! My Son Jesus is perfect and without sin.” Yes, “Christ died for our sins—according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again on the third day—according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4)
Everything happened just as God said in His Word, the Bible. The punishment of death had been completely paid.
And God still hasn’t finished speaking. Even today, He speaks to you and me through His Word.
It’s a beautiful and comforting truth that the Lord Jesus rose and is alive again. The Bible tells us that we too will rise from the dead. Many people wonder what will happen to them after death. Hundreds of years ago, a man asked, “If someone dies, can they live again?” (Job 14:14). God’s Word gives the answer—because Jesus rose from the dead, we too will rise.
If you haven’t yet believed in the Lord Jesus and accepted Him as your Savior from sin, you can do it right now. In prayer, confess your sins to Him, ask Him to forgive you, and thank Him for dying on the cross for you.
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