I love this quote from Tim Keller which I shared last Sunday:
“Jesus is the prophet Jonah should have been. Yet, of course, he is
infinitely more than that. Jesus did not merely weep for us, he died for
us. Jonah went outside the city hoping to witness its condemnation,
but Jesus Christ went outside the city to die on a cross to accomplish
its salvation.”
Jesus epitomises one of the central themes of the Bible, “sacrificial love”.
He sacrifices himself as an expression of his love for us, not for his own
advantage, but for ours. In doing so, from a theological perspective he
saves us from the consequence of sin, but from an ethical perspective he
shows us what a great life looks like. A life of service which is supremely
expressed in his willingness to give his life as a ransom for ours.
His action no doubt should move us to both humility and gratitude for what has been done on our behalf. Yet, it should also inspire us not to settle for good lives, but great lives. Lives like Jesus which are marked by sacrifice in the service of others.
