I found out
recently that a young woman I know had had an abortion. Her father almost upset me
more by his reaction, than the deed itself did. So intent upon being sure he was seen as excluded from any
guilt in the situation, he avoided her altogether, when she went to his
house—and he went to someone else’s house to avoid all ‘contact’ with her. It was
good, in a way; in that it kept him from speaking his immediate mind; however,
it was the ‘immediate mind’ that troubled me….
When we sinned, God did not
distance Himself from us, or avoid us when we turned to Him. He took our yoke,
our sin, upon Himself; entered into our humanness, became one with us, and bore
the penalty for our sin—as if He Himself had committed it.
Instead of being ashamed of us, like this father was with
his daughter, He ‘despised the shame ’(i) and ‘was not ashamed to call us brethren’(ii) . He, who was perfectly pure and sinless,
did not shrink from us in our deepest sin; but, stooping low, He identified
with us---in order to lift us out of it…. How beautiful is the Love of such a Father!
One of the most amazing passages in
Scripture, is the story of the woman caught in adultery. (iii) In a world where women have (traditionally) been despised for having relations
outside of marriage—most women, when reading the story for the first time,
fully expect Jesus to turn the woman over to the angry mob, and call for her
stoning, Himself. What AMAZING GRACE dawns upon the heart of every woman
however, when this Man of Sorrows, who’s so acquainted with our grief, not only
does NOT condemn her, (as most men would have), but actually turns his gaze
upon the sin of the mob, which was calling for her blood (as if they were not
also capable of the very same sin, or worse!) ‘…Herein is Love!--- NOT, that we loved God…’(iv); NOT that we were sinless; NOT that we were
worthy— Oh!, but that HE, Sinless,
Pure and SOLELY Worthy of adoration, loved US---in
the very MIDST of our sin; and took it upon Himself, to enter into our
heartache—into our condition, and redeem us in the midst of our guilt!!!
That man missed his greatest
teaching opportunity as a father today, when he did not stay home to receive
the daughter who came to him in her shame. She was given a distorted view of
God by his self-centered action….. I love the stories Jesus told in this
regard! The prodigal son returned in shame,--but did his father avoid him,
hiding out at someone’s house in an attempt to control his self-righteous
anger? NO!! We are told by the Scriptures “…the father RAN…”(v) to
meet his son. Even before the son had repented, the father had already
determined to gladly receive him!
Oh! How we misjudge the heart of
God, when we assume he is as selfish and unmerciful as men are! How WONDERFUL
to find that He, knowing full-well that we are deserving of His condemnation,
turns His gaze upon our accusers, and dares ANY to condemn, whom God Himself
has determined to forgive! ----What wretches we are to ever grow cold, or ungrateful of such a Love!!!
