He's Been There - by Max Lucado

“. . . shall not perish but have eternal life . . .”
On a trip to China, I rode past Tiananmen Square in a bus full of Westerners
We tried to recollect the causes and consequences of the revolt
Our knowledge of history was embarrassing
One gave one date; another gave a different one
One person remembered a certain death toll; someone else disagreed
All this time our translator remained silent
Finally one of us asked her, “Do you remember anything about the Tiananmen Square revolt?”
Her answer was solemn. “Yes, I was a part of it.”

We quickly grew quiet as she gave firsthand recollections of the bloodshed and oppression
We listened, because she’d been there
We who follow Christ do so for the same reason. He’s been there . . .

He’s been to Bethlehem, wearing barn rags and hearing sheep crunch
Suckling milk and shivering against the cold
All of divinity content to cocoon itself in an eight-pound body and to sleep on a cow’s supper
Millions who face the chill of empty pockets or the fears of sudden change turn to Christ
Why?
Because he’s been there
He’s been to Nazareth, where he made deadlines and paid bills; to Galilee, where he recruited direct reports and separated fighters; to Jerusalem, where he stared down critics and stood up against cynics

We have our Nazareths as well—demands and due dates. Jesus wasn’t the last to build a team; accusers didn’t disappear with Jerusalem’s temple
Why seek Jesus’s help with your challenges? Because he’s been there
To Nazareth, to Galilee, to Jerusalem
But most of all, he’s been to the grave
Not as a visitor, but as a corpse
Buried amidst the cadavers
Numbered among the dead
Heart silent and lungs vacant
Body wrapped and grave sealed
The cemetery
He’s been buried there
You haven’t yet
But you will be
And since you will, don’t you need someone who knows the way out?

Hope it will be a blessing to all of you