The Commander was shouting as he burst in. “My Lord! My Lord! They have arrested your son!”

“I knew they would.” came the calm reply.

“But my Lord,” protested the Commander, “he has never done anything wrong!”

“I know.” The reply was as calm as before. “When I sent him among them, I knew that most of them would not want to hear what he had to say. This was their response.”

“If you knew this was going to happen, then why did you send him?”

“I sent him for those who would receive him.”

“But there are so few!” protested the Commander.

“They are enough. They are a beginning.” replied the Lord.

“Then your son’s mission is finished, my Lord. Let me go rescue him.”

“NO!” The answer was swift and final. “His mission is not yet finished. You are to return and watch. No more.”

The Commander saluted. “As you wish, my Lord.” Then with a bow he was gone.

A short while later he was back, even more agitated than before.

“Yes, Commander?” asked the Lord.

“They’ve held a trial, my Lord. He has been condemned to death!” The Commander was almost visibly shaking.

“So he has.” replied the Lord.

“But my Lord,” cried the Commander. “It was not even a fair trial! They held it in the middle of the night. They had false witnesses who told lies about him. And even though your son told the truth, they would not believe him. In fact, they based their sentencing on his own words! This was not justice, my Lord. This was…”

“Condemning him for their own faults.” interrupted the Lord.

“Yes, my Lord.” said the Commander.

“This was also part of his mission.”

“I, I don’t understand my Lord,” the Commander stammered.

“Then return and watch, Commander. That is your mission; to watch and learn.”

“As you wish, my Lord.” And once again, the Commander was gone.

“A murderer!” the Commander shouted.

“Excuse me, Commander?”

The Commander was almost beside himself. “A murderer, I said. They chose a murderer over your son!”

“Please elaborate, Commander.”

“After the trial, they took your son to the local governor for execution. After talking with your son, he realized that your son did not deserve to be put to death. So he decided to offer a choice to the crowd that was watching. He let them choose between freeing your son or the most rotten murderer in his prison. I was sure they would choose to free your son. But they chose to free the murderer instead. Please, my Lord, please let me rescue him!”

“No, Commander. That cannot be.”

“But why, my Lord?”

“His mission is still not finished, Commander. There is more for him to do.”

“How, my Lord? How can he complete his mission in the midst of such obvious hostility? Some of those people that called for his death were the same people that welcomed him into the city only one week ago! It’s almost as if…”

“As if they too want to blame him for their own faults and failures.”

“Yes, my Lord,” replied the Commander. “Is this also part of his misson?”

“It is, Commander. Now it is time for you to return and watch.”

“As you wish, my Lord. But I still do not understand.”

“You will, Commander. You will.”

The Commander was back. This time, the agitation was gone.

“Yes, Commander?” asked the Lord.

The Commander’s voice was shaking. “It’s over, my Lord. Your son is dead.”

“I know, Commander. I know.” The softness of the reply startled the Commander.

“My Lord, you’ve been crying!”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Did you know this would happen, my Lord?”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Then why did you send your son?”

“Because there was no other way, Commander. I sent my son to bring the people back to me.”

“But my Lord, how can he bring anyone back to you if he is dead?”

“Return and watch, Commander. Then you will understand.”

Three days later, the Commander finally understood.