“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
Dear Ones:
Jesus once told the story of a “Good Samaritan.” He speaks of a man who, traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, fell among thieves who robbed and beat him, leaving him half dead. A Samaritan passed by, had compassion on him, and doctored him, taking him to an inn where he could recuperate. The Samaritan would pay the entire bill. Jesus would say that this Samaritan would act out of compassion, breaching the arrogant indifference of culture and custom of his day. The key to his actions, and that which would enable him to overcome all obstacles to help save the wounded man’s life, would be his compassion.
In the book of Ezekiel, the Lord is addressing Israel, specifically Jerusalem, concerning her unfaithfulness. He speaks to Jerusalem concerning her birth, one in which “…thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed with water…none eye pitied thee…to have compassion on thee; but thou was cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thy blood, I said unto thee…’Live.’ Yes, I said unto thee when you were in thy blood, ‘Live.'”(Ez. 16:3,4,5,6) Like the Samaritan, who looked upon the wounded and dying man with compassion, so the Lord would look upon Israel, howbeit in a greater, and more profound, manner.
When Isaiah was led of the Lord to write the 53rd chapter of his book, he pulled back the veil to reveal the greatest story of compassion of all the history of the world. In that chapter is revealed, in poignant glimpses of truth, the greatest demonstration of compassion the world has ever known. By those strokes of truth, the Master Artist (the Holy Spirit) portrays to us, in immaculate and terrible detail, the highest cost and completeness of compassion. It is the giving of the Son of God by the Father, to become the suffering Savior, the Lamb of God, who takes upon Himself the sin of the entire world, past, present, and future. It was Mrs. Cousin who wrote:
“Death and the curse were in our cup, O Christ, ’twas full for Thee!
But Thou has drained the last dark drop, ‘Tis empty now for me.
That bitter cup, love drank it up; Now blessings’ draught for me.”
In looking closely at the One who “bore our griefs, and carried our sorrows,” who was “…wounded for our transgressions,” and bruised for our iniquities,” who secured our peace by His stripes, we only BEGIN to know and realize the highest of all reasons for our existence, and in particular, with regard to our response to God. When God the Father “…laid on Him (His Son) the iniquity of us ALL,” He demonstrated a compassion for us who have been robbed by the god of this world, who only desires our destruction. God declares His compassion for us when stating that He saw us in our need, helpless, unclean, exposed to the elements of life, where resides certain death and destruction. How wonderful are the words: “He passed by and saw us…and said, LIVE.” Herein is the reason for which our response to God cannot be anything less than our whole heart, our lives. It was the great Apostle Paul who penned the simple, and yet transforming words: “Jesus loved me, and gave Himself for me.”
Dear Father, open our eyes to see and to grasp something of the compassion, and love of God. Strengthen us, not only to know the truth of it, but to live in the present reality of it. Fill us with Thy compassion, Thy love, that we may be motivated by the highest of all “reasons” to live and to serve Thee. We thank and praise Thee, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad