The Lord Jesus was the only perfect Man this world has ever seen. He was all and always perfect, under the eye of God and before men–perfect in thought, perfect in word, and perfect in action. In Him every moral quality met, and this in perfect proportion and manifestation. No single feature predominated. In “the Man Christ Jesus” there were perfectly blended a majesty which overawed, and a gentleness which gave perfect ease in His presence. The scribes and Pharisees met His withering rebukes, while the poor Samaritan, and “the woman that was a sinner,” found themselves unaccountably yet irresistibly attracted to Him.
No one feature in His character displaced another, for all was in fair and comely proportion. He could say in reference to the five thousand hungry people that followed Him in the barren desert, “Give ye them to eat,” and when they were filled, He commanded, “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” The benevolence and the economy are seen to be equally perfect, and neither interferes with the other. Each shines in its own proper sphere.
He could not send away a hungry people unfed, nor could He suffer a fragment of God’s supply to be wasted. He would bountifully meet the need of men with a full and liberal hand, and when that was done, He would see to every atom of that which was not required, so that nothing provided by God for human need should be lost. The selfsame hand that was widely opened to every form of human need, was firmly closed against all prodigality and waste. There was nothing cheap in His measure of supply, nor was there any extravagance in the manner of His providing for man’s need. In this, as in all else in which the Lord Jesus appears, He is ever absolutely perfect in His character and ways.
What a lesson there is in all this to us! How frequently with us, does benevolence resolve itself into unwarrantable waste, while, on the other hand, how often is our economy marred by the exhibition of a miserly spirit. At times our selfish hearts refuse to open themselves to supply the needs that present themselves, while at other times we squander, through a wanton extravagance, that which might meet the need of many a fellow-creature.
But there were none of these inequalities in our blessed Lord. He was perfect in all He did and gave, and equally so in what He refused to sanction. How blessed and refreshing to the soul it is to be so occupied with Him in all the perfections of His character and ways as manifested throughout His earthly course.
Creation’s light was sweet indeed,
But soon it changed to gloom,
When sin obtained a footing there,
And man received his doom.
The light that from the Saviour shone
Was perfect in its beam,
And gave to all on whom it fell
A glorious heavenly gleam.
‘Tis this that gladdens holy heaven:
No other light is there;
The glory of the Lamb alone
Illumes the city fair.
An artist drew a picture of a wintry twilight–the trees heavily laden with snow, and a dreary, dark house, lonely and desolate in the midst of the storm. It was a sad picture. Then, with a quick stroke of yellow, he put a light in one window. The effect was magnificent. The entire scene was transformed into a vision of comfort and cheer. The coming of Christ was just such a light in a dark world.