Dying To Be Reconciled
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Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: Heavenly Connections
Dying To Be Reconciled
by Tim Hall
Some relationships are dear to us. A current
advertising campaign for a wireless telephone
service asks how much we would pay to stay in
touch with those we love. People in the commercial
answer by holding up signs that read "A lot", or
"Anything in the world". The company then responds
with a monthly price that they consider quite
reasonable. Their hope is to gain our business by
appealing to how we value certain relationships.
Sometimes telephones can't help us. Even if we
dialed their number, they wouldn't answer.
Something has broken the relationship. Yet the
heart of one or both still yearns for the other.
What can be done to reconcile the two? How much
would they give to again be as one?
Jesus' parable of the prodigal son sheds light on
God's esteem of a relationship with us. After the
son decided to return home, seeking only to be a
servant, the father's heart overflowed with joy.
He had the opportunity to reclaim a son that was
lost. One mark of that esteem was his order to
"bring the fatted calf here and kill it" (Lk.
15:23, NKJV).
Sacrifice of innocent animals was a common feature
of God's covenant with Israel. The Hebrew writer
summed up the principle: "And according to the law
almost all things are purified with blood, and
without shedding of blood there is no remission"
(Heb. 9:22). Purification was necessary because
the people were guilty of transgressions. When a
transgression occurred, blood had to be shed.
Without the shedding of blood there could have
been no reconciliation of the broken relationship.
Ideally, every sacrifice for sin should have
involved reflection. The animal being offered was
a thing of value; it was unblemished and healthy
(Deut. 17:1), and could bring a good price at the
market. But a higher purpose was to be served with
this animal. It would be the price of
reconciliation, representing the person's desire
to restore relationship with the offended Creator.
Every sacrifice should have carried that thought.
Thankfully, God is not One who has to be begged to
accept our offerings, who couldn't care less if He
never saw us again. So strongly did He desire to
restore the broken relationship that He made the
first and greatest move. Paul marveled at the
thought in Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His
own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us." The Father on this
occasion did not call for a fatted calf, but for
His own Son! That's a statement of how much God
loves us.
If Jesus' parable in Luke 15 can be interpreted
even more closely, we also learn that the
sacrifice of Jesus was made with joy. No, the
Father didn't relish the thought of His Son
hanging on the cross. But the effects of that
sacrifice brought joy, and that's what set in
motion the scheme of redemption. It's also what
motivated Christ: "... who for the joy that was
set before Him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God" (Heb. 12:2).
How much does God value the possibility of
reestablishing His relationship with us? How much
would He be willing to give? See the outstretched
arms of Jesus as He suffers on the cross and know
that it is "This much!"
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