Sabbath Thought - I Lay Down My Life

In a modern age seemingly obsessed with ego-centric activities, we can still be touched by the selfless sacrifice of others - the firefighter who runs into a burning building, the police officer that puts himself in harm's way, a soldier dying in battle for the success of his comrades, or the average man or woman on the street that helps someone in need.   

One of the lessons of Passover is the need for us to sacrifice.  In John 15:13 Christ tells us, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  Christ certainly lived this verse in that He died for us (Romans 5:8), so that we could have a more abundant life (John 10:10) than this life.  But this verse is rich with additional meaning.  Think about how Christ died for us.  He sacrificed normal human desires (marriage, family, the cares of this life, etc.) and focused on the job He came to do.  He sacrificed by being a proper example of God's way of life day in, day out, and through every waking moment.  He sacrificed by dying a literal death as payment for our sins - fulfilling the prophecies, submitting to a cruel punishment, all the while showing us an example of faith, obedience, hope and love

As He said in John 13:15 - "do as I have done".  Do we follow Christ's example?  Do we die for others?  Do we sacrifice ourselves for the benefit of others?  This is what He was referring to in John 15:13.  We have examples in Scripture of faithful men and women who lived up to this verse.  Noah's spent decades preaching, witnessing, warning the world, and preparing for the Flood to come (Hebrews 11:7).  Moses walked away from the most powerful position on earth at that time. He led the people of Israel by giving up his comfort, his desires, and his life (v. 24-26).  Rahab would have been killed if she had been found out that she hid the Israelite spies - she sacrificed so her family would live (v. 31).  All of these examples (and many others) show how these individuals laid down their life for others.

In fact, we find that the law hangs on loving God and others more than ourselves (Matthew 23:34-40).  We even have the example of the Apostle Paul that he suffered (died) for Christ, and for the Body (2 Corinthians 11:21-12:10).  In this then, we also see the answer to Cain's snippy response to God's question about where Abel was (Genesis 4:9) - yes, we are our brother's keeper.  The rest of the Bible answer's Cain's question over and over again.  To be our brother's keeper means to consider our neighbor's needs at all times, whether s/he is present or not.

So, we esteem others higher than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).  We present our bodies as a living sacrifice in this way (Romans 12:1).  We see this sacrifice for someone else in the example of the church praying for Peter in Acts 12:5).  We read that Paul did the same for the brethren (2 Timothy 1:3).  Jesus Christ praised those who practiced this sacrificial love without even realizing it (Matthew 25:34-39).  In this way we submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21-25) and we love and reverence each other (v. 33).

The foundation of the Christian way of life is that the old man, the man living in his human nature, is to die and be replaced by a new man, a man living in God's Holy Spirit.  This is what we picture as well during these upcoming Days of Unleavened Bread.  As we proceed through Passover and the following week of the Days of Unleavened Bread week, let's remember John 15:13.

I wish you a profitable and value filled Sabbath,

Dan Dowd

3 April, 2020