Crowned with Thorns

(NIV) — 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

(NLT) — 6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Word Studies in the New Testament Chapter 5

Therefore, according to Paul, though one would hardly die for the merely upright or strictly just man who commands respect, he might possibly die for the noble, beneficent man, who calls out affection.

We’ve all read stories, books, and watched movies where the hero gives his life for someone. It may be a fellow soldier, a friend, a family member, a damsel, even a stranger. We laud the sacrifice and are moved by the compassion of the person who sacrifices his/her life for another.

We see it as some form of love — love for a fellow human, love for a righteous person, love for a good person. In fact, we either know or assume that the person saved in the act is fundamentally good (either a victim, or team player).

Saving Private Ryan

We often see people dying for a cause or an ideology, even a country. All of them still take a view of a root of right or good in them.

Do we ever see the hero willingly giving his/her life for the villain? Would we see that as some sort of heroic act? No! All those who die for the villain are just supporters of evil.

We find something completely different in Jesus. We have the hero dying for the villain, yet it’s seen as a saving act. We generally don’t see this in movies.

(NIV) — 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Jesus’ death made the way for the villains to become the rescued. Now we have life in Him.

(NIV) — 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Segway into Oh The Power by Kari Jobe (sung by Amy).