A JEWISH GRANDMOTHER RECEIVES JESUS AS LORD


September 1979, Patty and I joined the staff of Jews for Jesus. We've lived in San Francisco, Chicago, Washington DC, New York, and in 1998 we packed up and moved with our three children to Sydney Australia. When you hand over the reigns of your life to God you never know where you will end up. But it's always an adventure!

A few words about my Jewish Grandma Bessie. She never wanted to have anything to do with the person of Jesus for as long as I could remember. Whenever I would try to bring the subject, she would flick the back of her hand in the air to indicate her disinterest. She refused even to pronounce the name "Jesus."

When Grandma was put in a nursing care facility it had nothing to do with her wits but rather the frailty of her aging body. One October morning I went there for an early visit. Rarely would I bring my Bible to visit her because she had made it so clear so often that she was not interested in hearing anything from the Bible. Nevertheless, I brought it in that day. I began speaking to the charge nurse assigned to Bessie's floor. She wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told her I work with Jews for Jesus. She was thrilled, since she too was a believer in Jesus.

We spoke about eternal things as I approached Bessie's room. As soon as I walked in the door, Grandma greeted me with, "What was it you were talking about just now?" Matter-of-factly I answered, "We were talking about the forgiveness of sins that Jesus can offer and eternal life that He brings."

"I would like to hear more about that," she announced.

My jaw nearly hit the ground. With surprise and delight, I opened the Bible and began reading to her. I could almost see something going on in her heart and mind as she listened.

After thirty minutes of conversation, I asked Grandma, "Would you like to accept God's forgiveness through Jesus now?" And at the age of 96, she did!

The peace and joy that flooded her soul were clear. Her eyes lit up and her face shone. She continued to shine for five more years, until, at the age of 101, she left this earth and went to meet her Messiah face to face.

If you want to know the truth about Jesus, it doesn't matter if you are young, old or in between. Please ask God to tell you what is real.