It began with an easy but incredibly consequential decision that, to the lost, is sort of incomprehensible.
In the quiet of an early morning, Tabiruka weighed all his treasures on this life and located them wanting compared to what he had present in Jesus. It was then that he decided that he’d relatively die by the hands of his own father than turn away from Jesus.
His selection, floating across time and space, should float like a feather down into your heart. Depending in your wiring, it’s possible you’ll feel admiration, courage, fear, wonder, and a bunch of other emotions.
But as believers, for some reason we take his selection without any consideration because we all know his decision was the right one Biblically. We then jump to the query, “I ponder what I might do in his shoes.”
But his selection should go past your heart and trigger a matter in your mind. That easy query is, “What is it about Jesus that causes the martyr to decide on death over life?”
The Veiled Mystery of Martyrdom
As the long-time president of Persecution.org, I even have been immersed within the stories of the persecuted and the martyrs and turned this query again and again in my mind for many years.
The martyrs I’ve studied aren’t historical figures but modern human beings whose lives echo those we see within the Book of Acts. They embody a conviction that just isn’t merely mental but visceral, a conviction that passes the last word test.
But what fuels and empowers the martyr to make such an incredibly brave selection when an easy spoken denial (they may even lie) would save their life?
The answer, because it seems, is each easy and profound, and hidden in plain sight: they’ve encountered a love so overwhelming, so transformative, that it eclipses even the instinct for survival.
A Light within the Darkness
Tabiruka’s journey began not in light, but in darkness. As a young Muslim, he was well acquainted with a god who demanded strict obedience, yet remained distant, unapproachable. His life was one in all rigid adherence to rituals that left him empty and craving for something more.
But then, a glimmer of sunshine appeared—a whisper of a unique sort of God, one who didn’t demand obedience but was reaching out His hand in forgiveness, acceptance, love and relationship.
As he learned more about Jesus, the sunshine grew, piercing the darkness of his doubts and fears. If you’ve got been a believer for years or grown up as a believer, then there’s a very good probability you’ve got grown blind where Tabiruku could see. Our long association with Jesus makes us like an old married couple. Comfortable, committed, but you now not see your spouse you probably did if you first met them in all their beauty.
Jesus is stunning to the lost and whispers the answers to the existential questions that plague the lost: “who am I, why am I here, and where am I going?
Jesus filled the deep, unspoken longing in Tabiruka’s heart—a eager for home, for a Father who truly loved him.
The Costly Choice
When Tabiruka finally decided to follow Jesus, he did so with full knowledge of the associated fee. He knew that his selection would on the very least alienate him from his family, his community, his entire world. And at worst, would cost him his life.
Even as his father’s fury descended upon him in the shape of unhinged violence, Tabiruka’s faith held firm.
The Unseen Orphan
Tabiruka was an orphan long before his father took his life. He was born right into a world fractured by the Fall, a world where our connection to the heavenly Father was severed way back. The Fall left us all as orphans living on the streets of the massive city in winter, alone, cold, and in great danger, continually eager for a house we are able to’t find.
Jesus whispered into the depth of Tabiruka’s soul and told him he could leave the streets and the cold and that He would adopt him. So once the road urchin was secure, warm, and truly loved, no threat or beating could cause him to depart his finally-found-Father and HOME.
He would never return to the streets.
Tabiruka’s Message
Most people would say that Tabiruka followed Jesus to his death, but I believe it’s clear: he followed Him to Life. And if he could bridge the gap back to this world, he would shout to us at the highest of his lungs”
Now I can truly see what God is and He’s greater than I could have imagined. He is the reply to the death that you just call life, and the life that you just call death. My “death” was merely the doorway to life. So, with all the pieces you’ve got, with all of your effort, stop living on the streets and find HOME.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/m-gucci
