A story is told about a drawbridge operator in Canada whose job was to open and close a bridge to let trains cross at appropriate times. One day, an unexpected train came toward the bridge. Quickly, the operator took his controls to let the bridge down when, to his horror, he saw his young son playing amongst the gears of the bridge. He had a choice: save his son and kill possible hundreds on the train or lower the bridge and watch his son crushed amongst the gears. In a moment of incredible emotion the father worked the controls and lowered the bridge. His son was killed. The train and it's passengers sped into the distance, unaware of the tragedy that had just taken place. A father sacrificing his son for others- it sounds familiar to what God has done to rescue you and me from the consequences of our wrong-doing. What drove the man in the story to give up his son? The obvious answer is love and concern for the people on the train. I tell this story because it's dramatic and because it illustrates something of God's love. If any of the train passengers knew what a sacrifice the dad had made they would certainly be amazed by his kindness, and yet what God has done for us is even more extraordinary. Three things make God's love even more incredible than that of the drawbridge operator. Firstly, the kid in the story didn't really know what was going, but when Christ died on the cross, he did. He was born to die and he knew it. Secondly, the decision to sacrifice the son was a split-second one. In contrast, God decided way back in eternity that someone had to die in our place. It was no rush decision. It was emotional but it was also very carefully planned. The third big difference between our story and Christ's death is that the passengers were innocent, but we are not. It's amazing to think that God knows all of our selfishness, pride, violence, lying, etc., and yet he still gave up his son to die for us. The Bible says: You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone may possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8 He knows that we're basically 'scum' but He still loves us.
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