Showing Love While In Pain

I have been reading Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross, Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter. I highly recommend this book. It is an easy read with short chapters from differnt authors.

As I was reading one of the chapters something very profound and personal hit me. Jesus was tortured for us. He was in excruciating pain. He was in more physical pain that I will ever know. I knew this before.

I also knew that Jesus was compassionate to those around Him as he was tortured and hung on the cross.

But for some reason I hadn't connected the two. He was in great pain AND He was loving and compassionate.

"Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing..." (Luke 23:24)

Bishop J.C Ryle wrote, "These words were probably spoken while our Lord was being nailed to the cross, or as soon as the cross was reared up on end. It is worthy of remark that as soon as the blood of the Great Sacrifice began to flow, the Great High Priest began to intercede."

I am familiar with pain, not torture, but definitely pain. Over the last 22 years I have had many migraines. More recently a car accident (2003) has caused me a lot of neck and shoulder pain. I have a very, very low pain tolerance... yet I am confident that Jesus was in more pain than I will ever be in.

When I am in pain it takes every ounce of strength to not bite someone’s head off, and to my shame, I am not real successful at this.

But as I read the above scripture and J.C. Ryle’s comments on that scripture I realized that Jesus was able to be kind, He was loving and compassionate to the very people who put Him on the cross and caused His pain.

Then I thought of myself. So many times when I am in pain an innocent bystander is attacked. But for Jesus, there were no innocent bystanders. They were all guilty, just as I am guilty. Yet Jesus had mercy. There was no anger or frustration in His heart. He didn’t yell down, “You stupid idiots… I am doing this for YOU!!! The least you could do is praise me for saving you from eternal damnation!” Instead He gently asked His loving Father to have mercy… “Forgive them Dad… they are oblivious… they really don’t have a clue what they are doing… have mercy on them…”

Lord, I am so grateful for Your example. Please help me to show love and patience and compassion when I am in pain. I know I can do it, if You help me.