He Understands...
Luke 5:15 - Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
A boy went into a pet shop, looking for a puppy. The store owner showed him a litter in a box. The boy looked at the puppies. One at a time, he picked the pups up, examined them, and put them back into the box.
After several minutes, he walked back to the owner and said, “I picked one out. How much will it cost?”
The man gave him the price. The boy sorted and counted out a pocketful of wadded bills. It was obvious that he had been planning and saving for this moment.
After verifying the amount, the owner of the shop smiled at the boy and nodded, “All right, son, you can get your puppy and take him home.”
With a smile on his face, the boy reached into the back of the box, pulled out a skinny dog with a limp leg, and started to leave.
The owner stopped him. “Son, don’t take that puppy. Can’t you see that he’s crippled? He can’t play. He’ll never run with you. He can’t fetch. Take one of the healthy pups.”
“No thank you, sir,” the boy replied. “This is exactly the kind of dog I’ve been looking for.”
Once again, the owner started to speak, but stopped short. Suddenly he understood. Extending from the bottom of the boy’s trousers was a brace – a brace for a crippled leg.
Why did the boy want this dog? Because he knew how it felt. He knew that the puppy was special. He knew only too well what life had in store for this little creature.
Isn’t that just what Jesus did? He knew how people felt. He also knew that they were special. He knew that left to ourselves, our future was pretty bleak. The crowds figured that out and that’s why they came to hear him and be healed by him.
You are precious to him. So precious that he became like you so that you would come to him. When you struggle, he listens. When you yearn, he responds. When you question, he hears. Jesus understands you with the love and compassion of the crippled boy. And, like the boy, he paid a great price to call you his own. One day he will appear to take you home – forever!
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: Why did Jesus have to become one of us? How does Jesus' familiarity with physical, mental and emotional suffering help us when we suffer in the same way?
PRAYER SUGGESTION: Dear Savior, you became just like me so that I might be yours. Thank you for your great love and compassion. You understand my hurts and needs. Help me to stay close to you. AMEN.