He was a very rich man, and he lived in an English village long ago. He was also a very selfish man. What did he care if the children were cold and hungry? His home was well-supplied and cozy, so why worry?
We have a Saviour whose home in heaven was more wonderful than words can tell, but He came to live among the poorest of us. He was born in a stable and often had no place to lay His head on a chilly night. “Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:99For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)).
Of course, the rich man in that village died, for he was a sinner, and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)). The departure rate from this world is 100%. The poor people may have died early, and the rich man may have died late, but in that case he had more years and more sins. And “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:3131It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31)).
The men of the village gathered together to read the rich man’s will before planning the funeral. The whole thing left them shaking their puzzled heads and wondering what to do. The rich man’s will required that all his piled-up wealth must be spent on his funeral!
My Saviour died, not for His own sins, for He had none, but for mine. He gave up His life, and His spirit returned at once to the heavenly home of His Father. His body was lovingly wrapped and buried in a donated grave. We never could have planned this, but God did, because He loves us.
The men of that village came up with various plans, but each seemed impossible, until one man said, “I know! Let’s buy a set of warm clothes and a good dinner for everyone in the village, including a ride to the funeral.”
“Agreed!” they all cried.
And there was never such a joyous funeral in the history of the village. The ground was frozen hard, but there were no barefoot children, no frost-bitten fingers and no empty plates at dinnertime. Their warm clothes lasted for years, and the story of the rich man’s funeral was retold in every household. But there was no love given and none returned. The rich man’s bones are still buried, without a tombstone.
Our loving Saviour has no tombstone either. The stone which was sealed and guarded at His grave was rolled back by the angel’s hand. Why should He need a tombstone to mark the grave when He rose from the dead and He lives forever? He did not give us things that will wear out or rust, but rather He has blessed us with wonderful riches which can never decay and a home forever in His Father’s house in heaven. There was love in His death, and there is love in the hearts of us who know Him.
Is there love in your heart for Him too? If not, you do not know Him. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:1919We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)).
ML-05/26/2002