A Dumb Joke

A British pilot was shot down over Germany in 1943. He was arrested by the Germans and held for interrogation. The commanding officer cleared the room, saying that he would personally handle the grilling. As the soldiers stood behind the closed door they heard, SLAP! "Vot is your name!" SLAP! "Vot is your rank?" SLAP! "Vot is your serial number?" SLAP! "And why do you keep hitting me when I am asking you these questions?"

It’s a dumb joke, but it provokes a genuine question in my mind. Why do skeptics keep hitting us with angry words, when we are asking you about your eternal salvation? When we talk to you about your need of God's forgiveness, you become angry, unreasonable and defensive. Are we your enemy because we tell you the truth? You are going to die. You have nothing to lose by humbly listening to the claims of the gospel. God offers you everlasting life, so, please, forget for a moment about hypocrites. Forget about the atrocities of religion. These are legitimate issues, and God will deal with them in His time. In the meanwhile, think about your sins. Those secret sins. Think about the Savior. Think what He has done on the cross for sinful human beings. Think about eternity. Your eternity.

If you ignore God’s mercy and you find yourself in your sins on Judgment Day, you will say “Why didn’t you slap my face and shake me out of my stupor!” But if we did that, it would offend you. All we can do is slap you with words. And then hope and pray that it gets your attention for a moment, so that you will humble yourself and seek peace with God.