Spirituality Column #768

August 3, 2021

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Sacrifice … or True Life?

By Bob Walters

“I am the good shepherd [who] lays down his life for his sheep. – John 10:11

In a world without God, sacrifice makes no sense.  And in a world without Jesus, there is no good shepherd and the sheep are on their own.

How can we sacrifice for the good if there is no absolute good to serve?

Sacrifice, you see, requires at least a reasonable expectation that some good will be served.  In the person of Jesus Christ on the Cross, we see both a perfect sacrifice and a perfect purpose: the unblemished lamb who defeats death to glorify God. Perfect.

In the case of you, me, us, and everybody on the planet, our sacrifices of ourselves, time, treasure, talents, toil, or even our lives will always be a bit blemished, possibly tarnished with at least some doubt, and perhaps loaded with just the slightest nod to self-interest.  You know, “What’s in it for me?  What do I get for my trouble?”

But that doesn’t mean we don’t try, and in the spirit of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus and the perfect good of God, many of us survive and grow and glorify God in our faith, work, and intentions.  In Christ, we have learned the possible.  In faith and hope, we too can experience the joy of the shepherd who loves his flock and honors God.

I think that’s true not only of Christians but also of good-hearted, generous, compassionate folks all over the world who “get” the notion of giving of themselves for the good of others and know the warm, fuzzy joy, the reward, of lending a helping hand.

It’s marvelous, and I’ve yet to encounter a Christian who can’t name at least one “good person” – a friend, family member, colleague, etc. – entirely outside active faith in Jesus who nonetheless dependably and selflessly seeks the well-being of others. 

To me that doesn’t disprove the necessity of Jesus; it absolutely proves the human goodness God created.  Almost everyone has it – at least a spark – but the pity is when the divine source is not recognized.  Where does one celebrate and find joy – the true joy of divine communion and fellowship of Godly relationship – if our sacrificial instincts reach no further than our own, imperfect sense of self-congratulation?

It is also true that in this fallen, sinful world many folks truly look out only for themselves with not even a visceral sense of Godly good; only their pride and appetites. And we ache for those who possess neither security nor hope of good touching their lives.  To their loss, the good and perfect “seeking” shepherd Jesus is unknown or ignored.

We cannot match Christ’s perfect sacrifice, but we are challenged every day by the sacrifices demanded of us.  We weather a fallen world’s relentless menu of sin, disappointment, dangers, disease, disfunction, and uncertainty, and our sacrifices are as personal and varied as are any one person’s relationship with Jesus.

Jesus knew what His sacrifice would be and what it meant to God.  We, generally, in the case of our own sacrifices, don’t.  But our joy, love, and trust in the Lord are the great governors of our attitude toward turmoil, and it’s our sacrifices that teach us to trust the absolute truth of God’s love, goodness, righteousness, grace, and true life.

These are not lessons we learn where shepherds are unnecessary.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) has grown to be thankful we are not on our own.