A man’s wife had deserted him for another man. She succeeded in taking away their children. The estranged husband became depressed and lost his business.
Brokenhearted and ruined, he became obsessed with the enormity of his troubles and refused every offer of encouragement and hope. He attended a church service and heard a great sermon on Christ’s having been “in all points tempted as we are” (Hebrews 4:15). Rather than being comforted by it as others were, he resented the sermon and told the preacher, “Yes, Jesus suffered many things, but he never had a wife and family stolen from Him. He was never married, never had children, so that’s suffering He never knew.”
The preacher responded, “An accomplished violinist plays a great variety of music. There are only four strings on his violin, but they can produce both joy and dirges. The same four strings can cover the whole range. No, Jesus did not experience your trials in the same details, but He endured the broad range of disappointment, desertion, grief, pain, and even dying, so that the strings of His heart can vibrate with all the sad songs of life’s bitterest experiences.”
