He Died for His Wife

My Grandparents, Edward and Helen Losli

My grandparents had a wonderful, yet interesting marriage. The last decades of their lives they had what seemed to be a well-timed trade off.

My grandmother had many serious heart ailments and multiple heart surgeries from the time I was old enough to know what those terms meant. But as far as I know, my grandfather was in great health, but that changed as they aged. When my grandmother’s health failed, my grandfather was strong; but when he became ill and incapacitated, she was surprisingly strong.

My grandfather lived for my grandmother, but he didn’t die for her.

The Bible describes the relationship between Christ Jesus and the Church as like that of husband and wife. Yet there is a vast difference between Him and the Church and earthly husbands and wives. Jesus suffered more for the Church than any human husband has ever suffered.

Jesus suffered the loss of all He possessed, surrendering His splendor as Heaven’s born Prince to shelter in the womb of a servant girl. The King became a pauper by choice.

The Glory of God became a helpless Babe, a rough-handed Carpenter, a Suffering Servant and Man of Sorrows. He was humiliated, despised, and crucified between thieves. The Creator who adorned the blackness of space with flickering stars by the word of His power, was crowned with bloody thorns. The Friend to sinners died to make us friends of God.

Without concern for His own welfare, Jesus, the Bridegroom plunged into the ocean depths of the Father’s wrath to become the rescue for His bride.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her (Ephesians 5:25).

Yesterday, Today, Forever – AB Simpson (1890)

Oh, how sweet the glorious message simple faith may claim:
Yesterday, today, forever, Jesus is the same;
Still He loves to save the sinful, heal the sick and lame,
Cheer the mourner, still the tempest—glory to His name!

Refrain:
Yesterday, today, forever, Jesus is the same,
All may change, but Jesus never—glory to His name!
Glory to His name! Glory to His name!
All may change, but Jesus never—glory to His name!

He who was the friend of sinners seeks the lost one now:
Sinner, come, and at His footstool penitently bow;
He who said, “I’ll not condemn thee, go and sin no more,”
Speaks to thee that word of pardon as in days of yore.

Oft on earth He healed the suff’rer by His mighty hand:
Still our sicknesses and sorrows go at His command;
He who gave His healing virtue to a woman’s touch
To the faith that claims His fullness still will give as much.

As He walked once to Emmaus, with them to abide,
So through all life’s way He walketh ever near our side;
Soon again we shall behold Him—hasten, Lord, the day—
But ’twill still be this same Jesus as He went away.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8)

A Friend of Sinners

A popular English proverb says, A man is known by the company he keeps.  In other words, you will know the character and priorities of a person by his friends.   

You’ve probably heard the saying, Jesus, friend of sinners.  It’s even a phrase in a well-known hymn.  We’re told, “Jesus was a friend of sinners, dining with tax collectors and talking all night with prostitutes.  He accepted them.  So it doesn’t matter who my friends are.”  Those may not be the exact words you’ve heard or said, but it’s a common attitude.

The Bible does say that Jesus was a “friend of sinners” (Matthew 11:19).  But if you’re careful, you’ll notice the way in which it is used.  It’s based on Matthew 9:10, where the enemies of Jesus were using the phrase to discredit Him.  They called Him a “friend of sinners” to impugn His character.

Matthew 9:10, does in fact say that as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.  He didn’t go to them – they came to Him!  He didn’t hang around them, they were drawn to Him!

But how did Jesus keep company with these unsaved people?  In His own explanation Jesus said:  “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance”  (Matthew 9:13).  Jesus wasn’t “hanging out” with sinners at a party or going to the mall for frozen yogurt – He was preaching to them that they must turn from their wicked ways.

Jesus never participated in their sin, but pointed it out and called them away from it.  He called tax-collectors to leave their evil ways (Lk 19:1-10) and prostitutes to forsake their trade (Jn 8:2-11).  He never excused, condoned, or accepted their sin and He never kept company with their sin.

Those who hated Him called Him a “friend of sinners”, but who did He say were His friends?  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you…I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose Me, but I chose you …  (John 15:14-16).  His friends were those who followed Him, obeyed His message, and were chosen by Him.

In the Proverbs, a wise man is one who follows the ways of the Lord; a fool is someone who denies Him.  Proverbs 13:20 reminds us this truth: He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the friend of fools will be destroyed.  

So who are your friends and what do they say about you?