Imagine the following headline on the news site that you follow: 

LOCAL MAN SAVES LIFE OF CAREER CRIMINAL

Following that headline, you know the local man and he had the best character of anyone.  On occasion, that person woke up at 2 AM to help you or your spouse when their car broke down while you were out of town.  Not only did the car break down, it broke down on the rough side of town.  Regardless, he went and was able to repair the car.  While he was working on the car a group of gang members came to rob him, and he was able to convert them to Christianity.  This person helped many people and was probably a Medic, at-home garage mechanic, handyman, great husband, helped out at the church as often as he could, and was an all-around great guy.  He had the reputation that he would give a person the coat he was wearing on a cold day if he knew you or not.  Now he died saving this person’s life.  What kind of impact would that have on you?  What kind of impact would it have on that person if they had hit rock bottom and were asking for a sign from God?

Would you say he was a person who would give his life for his friends?  Or for anyone who did not deserve it?  And how would we be compared to a person like this?  What if this was the example of the character of Jesus in the modern age?

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”  John 15:13 (NASB)

This scripture has been running around in my mind for a week now.  And I keep thinking of all the ways Jesus demonstrated His love to us – especially while He was on the cross.  At the time a person would be bitter, angry, and hurting, but He still showed us how to love. 

“But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you. If you do this, you will be true children of your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:44-45a

Jesus prayed for those who were ridiculing him on the cross.  He prayed for the Pharisees and the Romans.  In Luke 23:34 (NKJV) the Bible records the following “Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”  He prayed and forgave.  Which leads to the next thing he did on the cross.  He Forgave!

In Luke 6 (NLT), at the end of verse 37, He tells us “Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.”  All throughout the Gospels Jesus tells us to forgive.  The best verse about forgiveness is in Matthew 6:15 (NKJV) “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”  He prayed on the cross that God would forgive those who were murdering him. 

 Jesus demonstrated the ultimate act of brotherly love, phileo love in Greek, when he forgave the person on the cross.  I hesitate to call him the thief on the cross.  Thieves rarely received the sentence of crucifixion.  This person was probably an insurrectionist.  His name is Dismas.  Gesmas was the person who was ridiculing him.  Dismas admonished Gesmas and then asked Jesus to remember him in the afterlife.  The conversation was recorded in Luke 23:42-43 (NASB) “And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!”  And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”  Jesus offered forgiveness and demonstrated His new command He left with the Disciples recorded in John 13:34-35 (NIV):“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”   On the cross, in excruciating pain and near death he showed love and forgiveness for many people. 

A final act of love from Jesus to his mother is recorded in John 19:26 – 27 (ESV) in which He arranged for His mother’s care after his death, resurrection, and ascension.  This is John’s account of the exchange: “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”

On the cross, in pain, dehydrated, with extreme blood loss, probably close to passing out, He still showed love.  He could’ve called ten thousand angels to vanquish Him, but He chose to fulfill His purpose on earth, and that was to be the perfect sin sacrifice, to remove sin from us and place it on Him.  He chose to fulfill His Father’s purpose and is now seated at the right hand of God.  He gave Himself as the ultimate sacrifice, in utter humiliation, and still chose to love us.  He chose to love a person like me.  And the awesome thing is that He loves you too!  Why not return that love and accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior?  And show that same love to others?  I know if all of us lived the same example as Jesus, this world would be better and would be Heaven on earth.  Give Jesus a chance to change your life and be Love. 

I will leave you with one final verse and hope it stirs up love in you:

“And so we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love.

God is love. Those who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”

• 1 John 4:16 (NCV)

If any of this has touched your heart and you want to have a relationship with Our Father and Our Lord Jesus Christ, and you want to spend eternity in Heaven and Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, or you feel you have backslidden and want to repent then please pray this prayer:

DEAR LORD, I KNOW I AM A SINNER.  I KNOW I HAVE HOPE IN JESUS.  I WANT TO REPENT OF MY SINS AND COME TO YOU TO ASK FORGIVENESS.  I WANT TO ASK YOU TO FORGIVE MY SINS, CLEANSE ME OF MY SINS, GIVE ME THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE WITH JESUS, AND I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS IS MY LORD AND SAVIOR AND HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR ME.  I ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO COME INTO ME AS THE GUARANTEE OF MY SALVATION AND WANT TO REPENT OF MY SINS.  ALL THIS I ASK IN JESUS HOLY AND PRECIOUS NAME, AMEN

If you prayed that prayer then I want to say CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF BELIEVERS.  The Angels, The Saints, The Lord Jesus, and all who have gone before us are having a party in Heaven because you chose Jesus.  And I want to welcome you to the family.  Find a good Bible-based church and continue to learn about Jesus.  We are all on this Journey together.  And in the end we will hear God say “Well Done my good and faithful servant!”