Abandoned, Yet Accepted !

Lk.10:33, “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.’

This story of compassion begins with a certain man being attacked, wounded and abandoned. He was stripped and half dead. A priest and a levite passed by. They saw this person, and walked away as if they saw nothing. The wounded man was abandoned. We all have some incidents, big or small where we can identify ourselves with this person in some way or the other. Some were abandoned by closest of friends or colleagues while some by one’s own family and relatives. There were times when we yearned for someone to walk into our lives with relief or comfort. Yet all from whom we expected walked away. This man was abandoned. But then, a certain Samaritan saw, had compassion and accepted him into his care zone.  Even when one is abandoned, if he or she turns to heaven, expecting none other than the divine hands to reach out, we see acceptance descending from heaven. Persons or things we never expected reach and unfold before our eyes in amazing ways. There is abandonment in faith life. Jesus said in Math.10:22, “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.’ Only that person can endure hatred for no valid reason who has realized his or her acceptance by heaven.

When Hagar was abandoned in the wilderness and when she realized the boundary of Abraham’s care and concern for her and Ishmael, she looked up at heaven and cried. Gen.21:17, “And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.”  Had Hagar not been abandoned by Abraham, she would continue to depend on him, rather on the Lord. At times, God causes one to be abandoned in order to shift one’s complete dependency on the Lord. God heard the lad’s voice and rushed to his rescue. Their cry was accepted by heaven and their abandonment was replaced with provisions.

Jn.9:35, “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of ^[g]God?”” The man who was born blind was healed by Jesus. He boldly testified about his healing and the healer, for which his own parents and the synagogue cast him out. Blindness had caused him rejection since childhood. But now more than the  healing, the acknowledgement of name of Jesus as the healer caused this abandonment. Either way he was rejected and abandoned by own parents, family and society. But Jesus approached him and asked him, “do you believe in the Son of God?” V 38- And he said,”Lord I believe. And he worshipped Him.”  The man was accepted by heaven through his faith in the Son of God. The pain of abandonment and rejection was replaced by worship of the Lord who accepted him with open arms. Bold acknowledgement of Christ being our Lord causes unexplained abandonment by own family and society. Yet the joy of acceptance by heaven replaces pain with peace.

Lk.15:17-18,  “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! ¹⁸ I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, ……’   The younger son had all he desired till he had money. But then after he had spent all, there came a famine and he was in want. He then came to himself, which refers to ‘right thinking’ or ‘realization of his falls’. This right thinking lead him to repentance and  to his father, where he was accepted with love and joy. The wealth  which he thought he had possessed, abandoned him. But the father’s open arms was ever willing to accept him back. All that we have are only gifts. One cannot possess anything, not even one’s breath. They stay with a person for a certain period . But let’s thank God for His everlasting love and Word which has come to us saying, “Never will I leave you, nor forsake you”(Hebr.13:5). Wealth and possessions of Job abandoned him, yet, the Lord’s presence carried him, comforted him, strengthened him and finally restored him.

 Mk.15:34, ^“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?””  Christ ministered on this earth in His physical body for three years. Disciples followed Him and were with Him all through out. But when the time of crucifixion came, the disciples abandoned Him. One of them betrayed Him. The courts of this world could not give Him justice. On the cross, the Lord cried out to the heavenly Father saying, “ My God, My God why have you forsaken Me?” the sins of the mankind was laid upon Him. Even the Father turned away His face for few moments from His only begotten Son, for His holiness could not  behold the sins. Is.53:3, “He is despised and ^[d]rejected by men, A Man of ^[e]sorrows and acquainted with ^[f]grief And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;He was despised, and we did not esteem Him..” The One who knew no sin was abandoned and despised by all. He tasted abandonment on our behalf , so that through His presence made available to all of us who have put faith in Him, will never experience being abandoned by heaven.

Family and friends might abandon one. Wealth and possessions might abandon one. But the one who trusts Him, will never be abandoned. It’s such a joy to realize that we have been accepted by heaven, which means we have been blessed with His presence for ever, irrespective of our situations. We have been accepted, never to face abandonment again. Even though one might go through the pain of being  abandoned in faith life, a God’s child always experiences the joy and peace of been accepted by heaven. This is the source of strength and comfort that carries one safe into eternity.

GOD bless us all.