Gently Dealt With

For every high priest is taken from among the people and appointed to represent them before God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal compassionately with those who are ignorant and erring, since He also was tested. Hebrews 5:1-2 NET

Jesus deals gently and only gently with all sinners who come to Him, repentant, surrendered, irrespective of their particular offence. 

He knows our sinfulness far more deeply than we do. Indeed, we are aware of just the tip of the iceberg of our depravity, even in our most searching moments of self-knowledge. His restraint simply flows from His holiness, His love for His people. 

Hebrews is not telling us that instead of scolding us, Jesus loves us. It’s telling us the kind of love He has: rather than dispensing grace to us from on high, He gets down with us, He puts His arm around us, He deals with us in the way that is just what we need. He corrects us, Holy Spirit pours wisdom, not condemnation but rather correction and redemption.

Look to Christ. As long as we fix our attention on our sin, we will fail to see Jesus in the horizon, Looking inside ourselves, we can anticipate only harshness Looking out to Christ, we can expect only gentleness. 

John 6:35 NET Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.

We are fallen, anxious sinners, limitless in our capacity to perceive reasons for Jesus to ignore us, turn away from us, cast us out. We are great at resisting Christ’s offer of unconditional love and acceptance, grace. 

…..Maybe that's because we do not see ourselves as God does, as His beloved, mistake making children who are searching to belong, to have hope and have someone care about the day we've just had, or the years of struggle we've survived. 

But there is a message the Bible repeatedly teaches us! Jesus Christ is with us then, now and tommorrow.