| The Ministry of Comfort |
Chapter 21 |
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Jesus gave us in His own blessed life the example of One who lived all His years amid ingratitude and enmity, and yet never lost the sweetness out of His spirit. He poured out love, and men rejected it. He scattered kindnesses today which tomorrow were forgotten. He helped people in sorest need and distress, and they turned about and joined His maligners. He came to save His nation, and they nailed Him on a cross. Yet amid all this rejection of His love, this rewarding of good with evil, of love with hate, the heart of Jesus never lost a trace of its gentleness and compassion. He was just as ready to help a need one on the last day of His life as He was the day He set out to begin His public ministry. He wrought a miracle of healing on an enemy the night of His betrayal, and when being fastened on His cross prayed for the men who were driving the nails through His hands.
A legend tells of a youth who had so blotted the divine grace out of his soul that one day he flung on high a dagger meant for God’s heart. And the answer of Heaven was a hand upon that dagger’s hilt, then five drops of blood from Christ’s wounds to cleanse the guilt. Love is always the divine answer to human sin. The answer to the crucifying of the Son of God was redemption. So love, more love, should be our answer to all injury, to all wrong, to all injustice and cruelty, to al ingratitude. No evil returned for our good should ever be permitted to discourage us in the doing of good.
Whatever failure there may seem to be in our ministry of kindness, through the shutting of lives against it, our heart should never lose any of its compassion and yearning. One writes of finding a fresh water spring close beside the sea. Twice every twenty four hours the tides rolled over it, burying it deep under their brackish floods. But when the bitter waters rolled out again, the spring was found fresh as before, with no taint of the salt sea in its sweet stream. So should it be with the heart of love. When the tides of unkindness, injustice, or cruelty have swept over it, it should emerge unembittered, patient, long suffering, and meek, rich still, in its generous thought and feeling, and ready for any new service for which there may be opportunity tomorrow.
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