William Dixon lived in Brackenthwaite, England. He was a widower who had also lost his only son. One day he saw that the house of one of his neighbors was on fire. Although the aged owner was rescued, her orphaned grandson was trapped in the blaze. Dixon climbed an iron pipe on the side of the house and lowered the boy to safety. His hand that held on to the pipe was badly burned.
Shortly after the fire, the grandmother died. The townspeople wondered who would care for the boy. Two volunteers appeared before the town council. One was a father who had lost his son and would like to adopt the orphan as his own. William Dixon was to speak next, but instead of saying anything he merely held up his scarred hand. When the vote was taken, the boy was given to him. —Neil Strait
The decision of the vote reflects what Paul tells us in the eighth chapter of Romans concerning the care and provision we are assured of from our heavenly Father. The townspeople knew they could entrust the boy to the man who was willing to risk life and limb for his safety. They knew that if this man was willing to go to such lengths for the boy, he would be willing to do anything in his power for the boy’s good. Paul writes: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:31-32)
The supreme marks of love for us are written on the scarred hands of the crucified Christ. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Because Jesus loved us, He was willing to “climb the pipe” at the cost not only of his hands pierced by nails, but of His back lacerated by the scourge, His beard cruelly plucked, His head deeply drilled by painful thorns and pounded with sticks, His body badly bruised, and weakened by loss of blood, His person forsaken by the Father because of our sin, and His very life slowly suffered away in the painful ordeal of crucifixion.
Believers can be greatly comforted to be in the care of the One who so loves us that He would endure all this to rescue us from the fire of hell...
The lad who went home with William Dixon had nothing to fear. And with Christ, neither do we.
By Pastor Jim Fugleberg
