For God So Loved The World

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

I have often wondered about those words. I suppose looking at them through my 20th century eyes, it seems that there was no need for God to give us His only Son – at least not in the sense that Jesus had to suffer and die for us. Jesus could have come into the world, given us His message and gone back to the Father. Indeed, it has always been easy for me to understand that one of Jesus’ main missions was to show us the way of life. He is the shining light for lost souls, guiding us to His Father in the same way that a lighthouse guides ships lost at sea to safe harbor. But why did He have to suffer and die for our sins?

It has taken me years to appreciate this, and I suspect I still don’t fully comprehend it. I knew the answer on a rational level before I knew it on an emotional one. In fact, it was not until my son was born that the emotional understanding of “God so loved the world…” really started to sink in. I would be holding him in my arms in the evening while listening to the news. Suddenly the voice would ring out “three year old shot to death by stray bullet…” or “two children die in fire…” I would cry for these families that lost children – the joy and happiness in their lives had been taken away. I cannot conceive of a greater hardship than to lose the life of one’s child. Yet God sent His Son to us. He sent His Son to show us how to live, knowing full well what lay ahead for Jesus. This is truly the greatest act of love. And it is in this love that our salvation rests. It is difficult to touch one’s emotions through writing. When you hear of someone who loses a child, put yourself in their position. Feel their pain and suffering. Pray for them. And realize how much pain God felt when we put His Son to death. How deep God’s love for us must be!

Lord,

We are so undeserving of Your love, yet You gave us Your only Son that we might have eternal life. Help us to realize how great Your love for us is and guide us to live a life that pleases You. Amen.

First published Tuesday, March 24, 1998, Anonymous, from St. Mark Presbyterian's 1998 Lenten Devotional