6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Reflection
I’ve discovered something worse than getting a needle – giving myself one. I had to give myself injections of Luvenox for about a week. The reason: Knee surgery.
I’ve been taking blood thinners since my heart surgery in 1999. And since they don’t like to perform surgery when a patient is on a blood thinner – it could get messy – I had to stop my Coumadin and begin injections of Luvenox: Twice a day.
It’s suggested to give the injections in the stomach, about three fingers width from the navel. Having my extra fat almost made me a little happier. But it still didn’t stop the pain. My belly was beginning to look like a pincushion – a purple one because of all the bruising.
My cardiologist suggested I could make it in some sort of a pattern. I didn’t think he was funny. Well, actually just a little. Which brings me to a song that I now understand a little better. It’s a song written by Chris Rice, one of my favorite Christian singers, called, “Sometimes Love.”
Let me cut right to the chorus. “Sometimes love has to drive a nail into its own hand. Sometimes love has to drive a nail into its own hand.” It also cuts right to the heart.
Think about this on Christmas, Jesus came here to die—so we could live. That was always the plan. There were no options. Those tiny baby hands in the manger were destined to have spikes pounded through them.
The next couple of verses go, “One pair of hands broke some bread and washed some feet. Opened eyes and soothed an angry sea. Belong to a man who could see our deepest need. And showed us love the way it has to be.”
The next few verses lead into the chorus again, explaining exactly what was to happen.
“Cause he knew the price that love requires; And he laid down his own desires…He stretched out his hands to save his friends. And said ‘no other love is higher.’ (so listen to me now singin).”
Love required a sacrifice. His sacrifice. Nothing we could do would matter—except surrender to Him.
Jesus could have stopped it, but love wouldn’t allow it. Chris Rice wrote another song I love, “Welcome to Our World.”
Some of those lyrics go, “Fragile fingers sent to heal us. Tender brow prepared for thorn. Tiny heart whose blood will save us. Unto us is born. Unto us is born.”
Think ahead 33 years and picture the nails and the thorns.
Paul tells us why in Romans 5:5-8: “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
I like using the NIV rather than the CEB. The NIV uses “powerless” and the CEB uses “weak.” Powerless is so much better. Jesus didn’t just die of natural causes. Crucifixion was a horrible death perfected by the Romans to inflict maximum pain.
My needle is a long way from those nails driven into my Savior’s body 2,000 years ago. So, any comparison falls far short. But for me, the worst moment of the entire procedure is when I’m holding the needle and trying to get the courage or whatever you might want to call it, to jab the needle into my stomach. There’s always a moment or two of hesitation.
I wonder if it was that same way for God, moments before Jesus entered our world on the first Christmas morning – if He had a moment of hesitation? But I don’t think so. I think God planned an eternity for that morning. “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,” wrote John in the most quoted Bible verse.
Remember, we were powerless and even worse, sinners. But God’s love is so deep that He planned for our salvation.
I’ll let Chris Rice wrap this up with the final stanza of “Welcome to our World.”
“So wrap our injured flesh around You.
”Breathe our air and walk our sod.
”Rob our sin and make us holy.
”Perfect Son of God.
”Perfect Son of God.
”Welcome to our world.”
by Rick Reed
For Pondering and Prayer
It’s hard to think of Easter during the Christmas season. But God did. He knew what he was asking of his Son. He asked him to die so we might live.
Prayer: Most Holy and precious God, You knew everything that would happen. And yet you made it happen. Help me never to forget it. Amen.
