Jesus willingly condescended to walk with folk of low degree. He was willing to be a friend to the poor and needy. Later, He would select unto Himself twelve common men whom He would befriend and teach, and disciple and love, even more than He loved Himself. In fact, He later took the initiative, by divine order, to establish His church and regarded its members as being synonymous with His own body – the body of Christ. By His example, He encouraged His followers to love and respect others: not focusing on their failures but, like friends, looking beyond their faults and endeavoring to meet their needs.

Obviously, it was only natural for Christ to befriend that woman who met Him at Jacob’s well one day. Remember her? She had been living a vile life, “shacking up” with several men, neither of whom was her legitimate husband. How could she be fulfilled?
In the heat of the day, she had come for a supply of water to meet her domestic needs. And being in tune with the guide of the Holy Spirit, which He had already claimed to be upon Him, Jesus could discern that this woman was thirsty, not only for the need of natural water, but more so for something that would satisfy her impoverished spirit.
He wanted her to open up to Him and to admit that she was spiritually desperate – thirsty for living water. So, through His inviting “inter-personal skills” He was able to work up a conversation her. Consequently, He was happy to introduce her to the thirst-quenching source that would be within her as “a well of water, springing up into everlasting life”. What a Friend! He proved to be one who could provide spiritual refreshment for her parched-out thirsty soul.
And wasn’t there yet another promiscuous woman whom this kind, friendly Messiah had so graciously relieved? Her religious accusers had hauled her before the Lord for judgment and condemnation. They were preparing to get rid of her by stoning her to death, for as far as their religious order was concerned, she was defying the Jewish law through her slack lifestyle – caught red-handed in the very act of adultery.
This poor lady stood in fear before the Master, waiting in apprehension of His damning verdict. Her spirit was broken; her heart was wounded. But little did she realize that this man before whom she stood was a friend of a wounded heart.
In an effort to prove to her litigants that none of them was the better, Jesus summoned: “ He who is without sin, let her have the first stone,” An air of silence was broken by the sound of dropping rocks, thumping to the ground one by one.
Alas, when the Lord arose from His squatting position where had had written in the dirt with His bare finger, His friendly features met the woman’s frightened eyes as He inquired, “So, where are your accusers?” “I have none, Master, they are all gone,” she replied in relief. Then in a redemptive tone, the Lord responded: “Well, I don’t condemn you either, but see to it that you go and sin no more.” That adulterous woman, now converted, gratefully waked away thoroughly justified. What a Friend she found this Jesus to be.
Among many other wonders, the scripture reports several accounts of Jesus’ great works: restoring sight to the blind, opening deaf ears, restoring strength and proper function to lame legs – even raising the dead. Jesus’ friend Lazarus was just one testimony of the dead whom He raised back to life, but it is intriguing to study yet another story of mortal restoration recorded in Luke 7: 11-17.
Jesus had come to the city of Nain, not far from Capernaum, and as He entered the city gates with His disciples, He met with a funeral procession. A young man had died, and was carried by six bearers to be buried outside of the city. He was the only son of his widowed mother.
Sensing the situation from a humanitarian standpoint, Jesus readily identified the mother and said to her, “Don’t weep!” The amazing thing about this scenario is that no one complained to the Master, or tried to draw His attention, or requested His miraculous aid. But touched with the emotion and grief of the mother, this comforting friend voluntarily touched the coffin. The pall bearers stood still as the Lord exclaimed, “Young man, arise! Momentarily, the youngster gingerly sat up and began to speak. Wow! The woman’s son was restored with a new lease on life.
Jesus was a revolutionary. Wherever He went, whatever He said and whatever He did caused the masses to stand in awe. His very presence drew an overwhelming commotion. People wanted to be near Him. They wanted to be a witness to the dramatic events which characterized His ministry. They wanted to share in the miracles and awesome successes that resulted from His simply being there.
But there were times when Jesus meted out strong rebuke and reprimands as well. Like the time when He lamented over the sins of Jerusalem, saying: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. See now, your house is left to you desolate.” (Matthew 23: 37-38.) It was to this desolate house of Jerusalem that He was sent as Messiah so that He would be sacrificed in order to redeem Israel back to God – if only she would accept Him by faith and not arrogantly scorn His life-giving commandments.
Well, at last there came the time when this gracious friend Himself would have to die. His death would be the ultimate task of His Messianic mission. So, once again by the divine order of predestination, He was ambushed in the night in the Garden f Gethsemane by a squadron of brutish Roman soldiers, who were led by secret intelligence provided by one of His own disloyal followers.
The battalion whisked Jesus away and led Him to the Sanhedrin council to be railed, accused of treason and judged. Later, He would be taken to Pilate’s court to undergo several spells of interrogation, mockery, beatings and blame for disturbing the Jewish code of religious ethics. Finally, Jesus would be led outside the gates of the city of Jerusalem to a hill called Golgotha. There, the soldiers hammered spikes into his hands and feet and hoisted Him up on a cross to die a harrowing death between two wretched thieves.

The beauty of it all, though, is that it was not really those vicious soldiers who took His life. Oh No! He voluntarily “laid down” Himself as a perpetual sacrifice. It was the central theme of His Father’s redemptive plan. And so, we hear Him boldly touting in John 10: 17-18: “My Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it up again. This command I have received of my Father.”

But death could not hold Him victim. Jesus proved to be the ultimate victor over death’s power and its finality. Just as He said he would, He manifested the power to resurrect Himself, thus making an open show of death and a spoil of the ominous grave. As a result, today we can boldly sing, “even death couldn’t hold him captive, even in the grave he is Lord.”

Yes, two days after they had laid Him to rest, our Lord through the power of the quickening Holy Spirit, flexed His supernatural, super-sovereign muscles to burst the bars of death asunder. He resurrected victoriously over the power of the grave. Hallelujah! He arose! Now all people today, whether Jew or Gentile, who would trust in this “once-and-for-all” sacrifice can be totally liberated from the cunning enemy of their souls. And someday soon, we too would ultimately rise in triumphant rapture over death to enjoy the bliss of life eternal-life with Him in a world without end. Amen!

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