Day 4: Promise #4: My Tenderness Is Toward You.

“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God.” Luke 1:76-78

In the last devotional, we considered God’s mercy, incarnated in Jesus Christ, which relieves the misery of sinners and sufferers. We zoomed in on the endlessness and daily application of God’s mercy. Now, at the end of Luke 1, Zechariah uncovers another attribute of God’s mercy revealed in Christ: It is tender. In all the outward help that Christ provides to his wayward people, inwardly, his heart is full of warmness, gentleness, and affection.

It is possible for mercy to not be tender. One may toss coins into a beggar’s plate without caring to look her in the eye. Such mercy is unfeeling, obligatory, even disdaining.

Christ’s mercy lacks no such care. He doesn’t merely flick a few tokens of help in our direction while not even breaking his stride. The incarnation of Christ is God stopping, stooping, looking us in the eye, and dignifying us despite our uncleanness and spiritual poverty (Matt. 8:1-3). More than that, Jesus didn’t merely stop and stoop; he became impoverished with us and for us, then lifted us into his eternal riches (1 Sam. 2:8; 2 Cor. 8:9). Whereas human mercy may be unaffected and callous, Christ’s mercy drips with empathy and care.

Consider four applications of Christ’s tenderness for suffering believers.

1. He cares about our pain.

We tend to think of Christ as invested in our holiness but indifferent to our pain. A hardened father may say to his suffering child, “This is good for your character,” unmoved and inattentive to her tears. Such coldness is the “photo negative” of Christ’s heart. Jesus keeps count of our tossings, pays attention to our cries, and tallies our tears in his journal (Ps. 56:8). His zeal for our holiness in no way diminishes his care for our pain (John 11:33-38). In fact, his holiness arouses his gentle care for the brokenhearted (Isa. 57:15).

2. He is inwardly moved by our needs.

A tender muscle is sensitive to the lightest touch. So, too, Christ’s merciful heart activates as we present even our lightest cares to him (1 Pet. 5:7). His knee-jerk reaction to suffering is compassion. His kindness needs no provoking. He doesn’t assess your moral record before determining whether to be tender toward you. Like the prodigal’s father, Christ runs to save his oft-wayward people at their weakest cry for help (Luke 15:20; Ps. 139:4).

3. He disciplines with gentleness.

As the Good Shepherd, Christ redirects us when we wander and prods us toward paths of righteousness (Ps. 23:1-3; John 10:11-18). Yet in all Christ’s loving correction, his jaw is never clenched. His discipline is never reactionary or retributive. He never removes his presence, saying, “I’ll come back for you once you’ve learned your lesson.” Christ directs without deserting; he embraces as he chastens; his gentleness surpasses our own. As C.S. Lewis remarked, “The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men.”

4. He loves us from his innermost heart.

Our service to one another is often duplicitous, tainted by feelings of obligation, selfishness, and contempt. A boy may share with his sister while clenching his teeth and forcing his hand. Such service springs from willpower or compulsion, not wholehearted affection. Christ’s love is never mixed. His hands always match his heart; his actions always flow from an undiluted wellspring of tender affection.

Believer, rejoice today: the incarnate Christ is a tender Savior—and his tenderness is toward you eternally. His heart “does not flash with tenderness occasionally or temporarily, sputtering out over time. Gentleness and lowliness of heart is who Christ is steadily, consistently, everlastingly, [even] when all loveliness in us has withered.”

Reflection question: How often do you think of Christ’s tenderness toward you? Which application of Christ’s tenderness is most comforting in this season of your life? Why?