Jesus died with his arms wide open toward a sin-cursed race—He gave His life to ransom the lost. Compelling love was the motivation for Calvary’s rescue mission. Over and over Scripture reminds us of the loving heart of God toward sinners.
- “When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd” (Mat 9:36).
- “Jesus… saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick”(Mat 14:14).
- “Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd” (Mar 6:34).
- “There came a leper to him… And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him” (Mark 1:41).
Hear His heart cry, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem… how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matt. 23:37).
Jesus stretched out His arms on the Cross to die in the place of sinners. His sinless life and sacrificial death are the sole basis of our redemption. He gave His life to redeem mankind. Such love is indescribable… any who come to Him in believing faith will not be turned away!
But Jesus not only had his arms wide open, he had his eyes wide open as well when living upon earth. The creator of man knew the heart of all men. Jesus was not naïve about the nature of the people for whom He was dying. He knew precisely the depths of man’s fallen nature. “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover… many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them… for he knew what was in man” (John 2:23-24). Jesus was fully aware of what resided in man’s innermost being.
Did Jesus have open arms? Absolutely. Were His eyes open to the hearts of men? Yes. So what can we learn from Jesus’ compassion and discernment?
Jesus struck the divine balance. He was full of both “grace and truth” (John 1:14). He knew the worst, yet He loved the most. The Savior did not sacrifice mercy for truth. Neither did he forfeit truth at the expense of mercy. He overflowed with grace and truth simultaneously.
There is an incredible tension in keeping our balance on the tightrope strung between grace and truth. Here is a helpful scripture, “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee… write them upon the table of thine heart” (Proverbs 3:3). We simply cannot afford to allow ourselves to become cold, calloused, critical, and calculating. All truth with no grace is a distortion.
But all mercy without truth is the opposite falsehood. And that is why many congregations have gone WOKE. They abandoned truth for the sake of mercy. We are not called to function like mindless Pollyanna’s. Discrimination in the light of scripture must be maintained.
That’s why we cannot afford to forsake mercy, or truth. Both are required. Both are imperative. Both are equally important. And both are absolutely essential.
The divine balance was manifested in the Son of God who satisfied the righteous wrath of God by becoming a substitute for our sin. At the Cross, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Ps. 85:10). God’s justice was satisfied, and His mercy was exemplified. He gave His life to pay the debt we owed. He absorbed the wrath we deserved and now offers forgiveness and pardon to all who believe.
Jesus died with his arms outstretched, but he lived with his eyes wide open. And we are called to do the same.
Harold Vaughan