By Deborah H. Rabern
When Mercy came down to earth, He slipped sideways through the curtains of history and nestled into a virgin's womb. Mercy manifested Himself in a manger, helpless in the hands of first-time parents who believed the promises of angels.
Mercy listened to His father and learned an ordinary skill, working in wood, a blue-collar trade. In obscurity, He waited until the fullness of time. Then He went to be baptized by the one preaching repentance. The Spirit tore through the heavens to descend as the voice of God declared, "You are my Son, whom I love: with you I am well pleased" (Mark 1:11 NIV).
Then Mercy followed the Spirit into the desert for forty days, alone without food or water. At His weakest point, the tempter came with enticing words. Mercy overcame temptation with the spoken Word of God. He prayed and taught others to do likewise. He said we should always pray.
Mercy called sinners to repentance and preached the good news about the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who repented were not turned away. He dispensed wisdom and hard truths. He offended scholars, politicians and the religious elite with His uncompromising righteousness.
Mercy drove the moneychangers from the temple to remove them from the wrath of God. He told the truth about the penalty for sin to rescue people from eternal judgment.
He set a different standard - addressing heart issues and challenging tradition. He said to love your enemies, be good to them, and pray for them. Help them without expecting anything in return. Those who obey these injunctions receive a great reward, because these actions make you like the Most High God who is merciful and kind to the wicked and ungrateful.
Mercy said anyone can follow me - the crooked, the profane, the common, the wealthy, men or women, any nationality. He healed every kind of sickness, delivered the demon-possessed, and raised the dead. Yet He experienced physical limitations and emotions.
He prophesied about His death and the end of the age. No one understood Him. He chose the path to Gethsemane full of dread for what was to transpire. He folded up His sinless life and deliberately laid it aside to robe Himself in the sins of all the world - past, present and future. He put on a shroud of flayed flesh and bent chin to His disfigured chest to be crowned with thorns. He traded His innocence for our guilt.
Mercy suffered brutality at the hands of strangers. He was betrayed with a kiss from a friend. No one stood by Him. His staunchest ally claimed, "I never knew the man." Loyalty melted into the blackness of a Roman arrest. Nothing stopped Mercy from forgiving. Total humiliation, excruciating pain and public shame couldn't divert Him from His Father's divine plan.
Darkness covered the land and the sun closed its eyes as Mercy exhaled His last prayer. The earth trembled. The veil in the temple ripped from top to bottom and gave direct access to God. Mercy borrowed a tomb for three days before His glory forced death to relinquish its grip.
When Mercy came down, He brought light to those shivering in darkness. He brought life to those dwelling in the shadow of death. He came to those who believed in themselves; those self-sufficient in their wealth; people swollen with the importance of worldly wisdom, who couldn't perceive that they were wretched and pitiful without a Savior.
Mercy never falters or fails or changes. He keeps His promises to a thousand generations. He extends a scarred hand to the hopeless. His truth gleams through the ages to find those who have lost their way. He still offers rest for the weary and peace for the troubled mind.
Mercy conquers death, hell and the grave. He makes all things new. He transcends natural law. Let Mercy come down.
Deborah H. Rabern is a graduate of Georgia State University. She has spoken and taught in assorted venues including churches, parachurch organizations, federal prison and the public school system. In addition, she has been a spokesperson for the National Day of Prayer Committee (Cumberland, MD) and Tri-State Celebration (1999) during her employment with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Email Deborah.
