“Wow, that box is heavy!” said one young boy as he passed the box to the boy sitting next to him in the front row of the Sunday school class.
“I’ll say it’s heavy!” said another boy when he lifted the small box that had several rubber bands around it to keep it closed. Everyone in the class took a turn holding the box.
“What do you think is in that box?” the teacher asked.
“Rocks,” suggested one child.
“I think it’s money,” said another as he gave the box a good shake and it rattled like coins.
“Yes, it’s money. There are one thousand pennies in there. How many dollars would that make?” asked the teacher.
“Ten dollars,” answered a bright, young boy.
“That’s exactly right. Now what’s this?” asked the teacher as he took a one-hundred-dollar bill from his pocket. “It’s not heavy and it doesn’t take up much space.”
The children’s eyes opened wide. Most of them had never seen a one-hundred-dollar bill before. Each of them took a turn holding it. Then it was handed to the boy who had the box of pennies. The teacher had a question for the boy who now was holding both the pennies and the one-hundred-dollar bill. “If you were going to give either the box of pennies or the one-hundred-dollar bill to somebody you love very much, which one would you keep and which one would you give away?”
Now I want to ask you who are reading this story the same question: “Which one would you keep and which one would you give away?”
God had a choice to make too. He knew we were sinners and needed a Saviour, and He loved us very, very much. He was going to send someone from heaven down to earth to be a Saviour and to show us how much He loved you and me. Who would He send? Who would He give up?
There are lots of angels in heaven, so many that we couldn’t count them all. Hebrews 12:2222But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, (Hebrews 12:22) says, “An innumerable [uncountable] company of angels,” and Revelation 5:1111And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; (Revelation 5:11) also tells about many angels and others in heaven and says, “The number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand” (that’s a hundred million!), plus “thousands of thousands.” That’s a lot of angels! You would think that God could spare one or two, or even a million, to come down here to show us He loved us even though we are sinners. But even all those angels put together could not remove one of our sins; an angel could not be our Saviour. There was only one Person in heaven that God could send down here who could remove our sins. It was His only Son - He gave up the One He loved and valued more than anything else! God kept the “box of pennies” and gave up the “hundred-dollar bill.” And He didn’t send His Son on a pleasant trip—He sent Him down here to die on a cross and bear the punishment for sin, because that’s the only way He could have you and me in heaven with Himself.
The child in Sunday school said he would give away the box of pennies and keep the one-hundred-dollar bill. Which did you choose?
God could have kept His beloved Son safely with Himself in heaven or send Him to this earth to be crucified by cruel, wicked men, because only the blood of Jesus Christ, the one sinless Person who ever lived on this earth, could wash away your sins and make you clean and fit to live in heaven. God wanted to have you there so much that He sent His Son to die for you. “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:1414And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. (1 John 4:14)).
Now it’s your turn to choose. Will you trust the Lord Jesus as your Saviour? or will you be like those wicked men who said, “Away with Him” (John 19:1515But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. (John 19:15)), and, “We will not have this man” (Luke 19:1414But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. (Luke 19:14))? They chose to nail Him to a cross rather than receive Him as their Lord and Saviour.
What is your choice?
ML-02/09/2003