Crossing The Grand Canyon

The Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 16:19-31The Message


My Mind Begins to Wonder:


The Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 16:19-31The Message Note: Scripture is at the bottom.

Key verse: in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us.’

My Mind Begins to Wonder:


I was standing at the top of the Grand Canyon. I saw a thick cable stretched out across as far as I could see. I heard a whisper, DO YOU TRUST ME? and "How much faith do you have?

I believe I have more faith than most of the people I know. DO YOU TRUST ME? Do I? Do I trust God enough to walk across the canyon on this cable? I would hope that God would not ask me to do such a thing. (Whisper) DO IT! Holy cow, Is this a test or am I being tricked/tempted?

Well, I DO TRUST GOD!

I would hope, if I slipped, God would catch me. I had this little conversation with myself and then told God exactly what I thought. I took a deep breath, then took the challenge. The cable was just thick enough to find a decent balance without wobbling back and forth. As I got further out, the cable grew wider and wider, until it was the size of a sidewalk. What in the world is happening? “DO YOU TRUST ME?” Hmmm . . . I went a reasonable distance out, looked back, but did not see the sidewalk behind me; I saw the cable. When I looked ahead, I was on the sidewalk. At this point, I’m freaking out and start to run. I ran until I could barely catch my breath. I was too afraid to look back again. My running turned into a trot, and that’s when I noticed that the sidewalk seemed to be narrowing again. I started getting nervous as the sidewalk faded. Once again I was doing the balancing act on the cable.

I couldn’t wrap my mind around what was happening. I wonder if I will ever make it to the other side. I’m tired, hot, sweaty and thirsty and getting a little cranky. As I look ahead, the cable is beginning to widen again. Only this time, it’s the size of a path instead of a sidewalk. Ahead I see a gap, I slip and lose my balance. Thank goodness I was on the path and not the cable. The panic had arrived. Oh, no! How will I get to the other side? I stand there, my heart drops, fear creeps in, and I dropped to my knees and said, ” Lord, Help me!” “Why is this happening?” Tears filled my eyes, and I have my first thoughts of dying. I must be dreaming; this is not even possible. No one would believe me, even if I do live to tell it. When I stood back up, there before me, was Jesus on the other side of the gap. He is bloody, his eyes swollen, and he is wearing the crown of thorns. It looked as if He just came down from the cross. I was speechless.
He called out my name. (HE KNEW MY NAME!)
I answered...“Jesus?”
He said, ”You called?”
Me: Did I? Oh yes! Yes, I did call YOU! He said, "You have a decision to make.
Me: Really? What for?”
He said, “How else will you cross over?”
Me: I’m confused.” What kind of decision?”
He said,“ Do you trust Me?”
I said, ”Yes.”
As we talked, it looked as if the gap was getting shorter. Jesus looked up to heaven, stretched out His arms, then said, “Father, Hallowed be Your Name ~ Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” As He spoke, the gap was closing in. When His arms came down, He was just a few feet away. Jesus got down on His knees, reached His arms out until His hands grabbed onto the end of the cable where I was standing. His back is covered with deep, fresh, bloody gashes from the beating before going to the cross.
Jesus said, ”Walk across My back to the other side.”
Me: What? Jesus? No!” I don’t want to hurt You
He said, ”Do you trust Me?”
I looked around, my only chance of survival, was to walk across Jesus’s back. The tears were flowing. My heart was pounding. All I could think about was causing Jesus pain.
I said, ”Jesus, "I don’t want to hurt you. Why are You doing this? Can’t You just take me across?
There was no answer. It looked as if Jesus was struggling to hold on. I couldn’t watch any longer. I took a step, and He cringed. I couldn’t believe I was putting my feet on Jesus's wounded, bloody, raw, shredded, flesh. I could see His bones. I felt like I was too heavy, plus He’s struggling to breathe. I took another step, then another. His legs looked even worse. It seemed like I was moving in slow motion. I was trying to hurry up! Finally, I reached the other side. I fell to my knees, wiped the snot and tears away, then turned around. Jesus was standing right before me. He was whole (healed) and smiling.

I asked, “ How? How did You? You’re not hurt”! That heaviness of putting my dirty feet on Jesus disappeared. I can't remember feeling so relieved and happy. Jesus hugged me and lifted me up and spun me around and we both were laughing. Can you even imagine hugging up on and laughing with JESUS? Soon we were sitting on the path just talking away. I was asking question after question. My head was spinning with questions. He sat there and chatted with me and answered all my questions. Some I didn’t comprehend, but he tried.

One thing is for sure ~ Jesus DOES know my name ~ He LOVES me ~

He Will be there when you call on His Name as well~

The Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 16:19-31The Message

19-21 “There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man’s table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores. 22-24 “Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell and torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I’m in agony in this fire.’

25-26 “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It’s not like that here. Here he’s consoled, and you’re tormented. Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us.’ 27-28 “The rich man said, ‘Then let me ask you, Father: Send him to the house of my father where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won’t end up here in this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham answered, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them the score. Let them listen to them.’ 30 “‘I know, Father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but they’re not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would change their ways.’ 31 “Abraham replied, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, they’re not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the dead.’”