“For God so loved the world that he GAVE his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
If you’ve grown up in the church this is probably one of the first Bible verses that you memorized. It is probably one of the most “famous” ones known among those who believe in Jesus and those who don’t. I was reading through the gospels the other day and my reading brought me to John chapter 3. As I read over this famous scripture I stopped and pondered these words and felt tears prick my eyes. For God so loved the world that He gave…He gave…He gave. When I stop and think about the magnitude of this gift I am overwhelmed by the sacrifice of Christ for me. I have been in church my entire life and to be honest I have become tired of the American church mentality of how we’ve created our churches into a business. The gospel story that I read says…”For God so loved the world that He gave.” I have become saddened by the church and its precedent to charge for the gospel.
Flipping over to chapter two, I see Jesus in the temple. It was Passover time and Jews from all over had come to Jerusalem to celebrate. Since most of them had journeyed from quite a distance, they would often purchase their sacrificial animals when they got there so they wouldn’t have to bring them as they traveled. When Jesus walked into the temple courts he found men selling these animals at a price that would bring them a considerable profit. This is the passage that we see incredible anger come from Jesus. The Scriptures tell us that he made a whip out of cords to drive all of the animals away, he overturned the money changers tables and scattered their coins. He said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!”
Two very different pictures.
For God so loved the world that He gave.
For man so loved himself that he took.
For God so loved the world that He gave.
For man so loved himself that he took.
For God so loved the world that He gave.
For man so loved himself that he took.
Can you see the difference? Jesus came and gave it all so that we might have freedom and eternal life. Man takes the free gift of God and charges others for the gift that is so freely given to himself. The audacity we have to charge for the free gift that God has given and sacrificed everything for. I was watching T.V. the other day and there was a “minister” on T.V. selling his book, his C.D.s and whatever else he could sell with the promise of unlocking the mysteries of God for only $19.95. Who are we to charge a price for the very thing that God gave His Son for. I think it’s time we pause and reflect…do we love like Christ so much so that we give? Or do we love our self so much that we take?
