In the shocking picture above from Louisville, Ky, you can see the legs of the trucker dangling from a cable suspended from a crane–just above the cab of the big rig. What’s harder to see are the legs of fire/rescue technician who saved the truck’s operator; his legs are slightly higher and to the right. In order to save the driver, the rescue tech had to subject himself to a great risk. He had to get into a harness, be lowered on a cable that dangled a hundred feet above the Ohio River, putting his own life in jeopardy in the process.
Now I want you to think about what the Lord Jesus did for us. He–much like the rescue tech in the picture–got in the “harness” of human flesh, lowered himself from heaven to earth and by actually dying in our place for our sins elevated us to God, the Father. But, unlike the rescue tech, he didn’t hang from a cable and then get to go home that evening to his family–he hung on a torturous wooden cross and died there for us!
John 1:14 says: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (nasb).
J.C. Ryle puts it this way, “The plain meaning of these words (John 1:14) is, that our divine Savior really took human nature upon Him, in order to save sinners. He really became a man like ourselves in all things, sin only excepted. Like ourselves, he was born of a woman, though born in a miraculous manner. Like ourselves, he grew from infancy to boyhood, and from boyhood to man’s estate, both in wisdom and in stature (Luke 2:52). Like ourselves he hungered, thirsted, ate, drank, slept, was wearied, felt pain, wept, rejoiced, marveled, and was moved to anger and to compassion. Having become flesh, and taken a body, He prayed, read the Scriptures, suffered being tempted, and submitted His human will to the will of God the Father. And finally, in the same body, He really suffered and shed his blood, really died, was really buried, really rose again and really ascended up into heaven. And yet all this time He was God as well as man!”
May you and I take time everyday to thank our wonderful rescuer–Jesus!
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