Given for Love

Did Jesus think of himself as a sacrifice?

Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.” - John 3:14-21

We all die.

It is a fact of life that we try not to think about most of the time, but it is true nonetheless.

This life will end, and that's that.  Or is it?

When I think of someone sacrificing himself to save others, I think of firemen who rush into burning buildings to find the lost and bring them out to live on.

Those who do that know they are sacrificing themselves, and that they may not live through the ordeal, and yet they put their lives on the line for the sake of a stranger in danger.

Do they think of themselves as a sacrifice?

You could say they are just doing their job, but something inside them chose this line of work.  Something compelled them to do this work so others may live.

And that is what I think Jesus saw in himself.

It was his job, his purpose in life, his reason for coming to this world, to save us from eternal death.

That makes it all worthwhile.

If he could save one life, would that be enough?

I don't know, but it reminds me of Moses negotiating with God over Sodom.  Would you spare them if just one is found to be good?

Maybe we should look at life this way, that all we need to do is save one life and our whole existence is justified.

More to come...