In 1972, a two year old Chinese boy, Hu Jen-chuan, fell from a table and went into a coma.  When he woke up after six days he was not able to talk or move.  Like any parent, his mother, was terribly distressed.  Yet her distress was multiplied by the fact that she could not afford to place him in a nursing home.

Instead she cared for Hu Jen-chuan herself, and her care revealed the unfathomable depth of her mother-love.  You see, because he was unable to move, Hu Jen-chuan was liable to get terrible bed-sores.  So for over 30 years, his mother did the unbelievable – she carried her son on her back.  As of May 2002, Liu Kuei-lan was 65 years old and weighed 40 kilograms (about 88 pounds).  Her son, then a grown man, weighed 82 kg (about 180 lbs.).

On many occasions Liu fell and fractured bones while carrying her son.  Yet she continued to carry him.  When asked how she could do it her reply was simple:

“He ain’t heavy; he’s my son.” *

The love of Liu Kuei-lan for her son pictures the love of Christ for us.

Our sin brings a great burden upon us.  We suffer the pain of our mistakes, the impact of our sins upon those that we love, and the knowledge that we have offended the very God who created us.  Our sins separate us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2) and put us on the path of destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).

But God loves us so much that He gave His one and only Son to die on the cross for our sins so that through Him, we can be reconciled to God and receive the gift of eternal life (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

Jesus willingly took the burden of our sin upon Himself as He died on the cross.  “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).  Bearing the burden of our sin brought terrible pain, suffering, and death to Jesus.  His great suffering was expressed when He cried out from the cross to His heavenly Father: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46).  In order to bring us to God, Jesus had to endure the punishment for our sin (1 Peter 3:18).

Why did He do it?  Was it because it was the will of His Father to redeem mankind?  Yes.  But it was also because Jesus loves us.  “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16 NIV).

How can we receive salvation and eternal life that Jesus provides through His atoning death?

God will save and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).  He will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

Each of us can echo the words of the Apostle Paul: “He loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Won’t YOU accept the salvation and eternal life that Jesus made possible through His atoning death?

-- David A. Sargent

* Source: reported in the Taipei Times May 11, 2002 and quoted in https://storiesforpreaching.com/category/sermonillustrations/mothers/.  Adapted to reflect time past.

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

Archived issues of Living Water can be viewed and accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org