Galatians 4:4-7Galatians 4:4-7
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
4 But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law, 5 . so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God's children. 6 Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father. 7 You are no longer slaves. You are God's children, and you will be given what he has promised.
WP-Bible pluginBut when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father. So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
Our family lives within walking distance of a small grocery store. When we first moved into our home, our children were too young to make the walk on their own, so every once in awhile we’d opt to combine running an errand and exercising to pick up some sugar or eggs with our children in tow. They loved leaving the cars in the driveway and walking or riding our bikes to the store. As the years have passed, our kids have asked if they could head to the store on their own to pick up incidentals for the family. That’s a hard request to grant. Not that we as parents don’t trust them to be capable of running the errand, but we are concerned for their safety while they are away from our side. Will they watch traffic as carefully as we would? Will they be aware of strangers? Will there be any change left after giving them $10 to buy the $4 worth of stuff at the store? Okay, that last one isn’t exactly a major concern.
On occasion we’ve allowed our maturing children to run to the store for us. We never let them go alone, however. They are to go straight to the store, and then return straight home. Any deviation from the rules could result in severe consequences. On the few occasions they have gone, they have returned with a great sense of accomplishment and joy for having completed the assignment and having done something special to help out the family. They have always stuck to the rules, and have even brought us the correct change back every time! Though it seems like just yesterday we were cutting the umbilical cord at the hospital, we find ourselves in the bitter-sweet process of loosening the apron strings a little bit each day as well.
If you’re a parent, can you imagine how God must have felt when He sent Jesus out the front door of Heaven to come to earth and go through the process of redeeming mankind unto Himself? Jesus was safe in Heaven. He was with His Father. But, both the Father and the Son knew that if Jesus didn’t leave the shelter of paradise, mankind was doomed. Jesus wasn’t sent on just any errand, He was commissioned as the greatest Messenger of all time. He was sent by His Dad to demonstrate God’s love for you, and for me, by dying on the cross in our place so that we may experience the forgiveness of our sins and the hope of spending eternity in the Presence of God. God knowingly sent His Son on a mission to be mocked, scorned, beaten, ridiculed, rejected, betrayed, and killed. He was sent from “home” to be our sacrificial Lamb. This was certainly more than an errand!!
As a parent, I cannot fathom how God must have felt seeing His Son leave heaven and be incarnated. What must it have felt like for God to see Jesus and Joseph interacting as earthly father and son? I cannot comprehend the agony God endured as His Son was whipped and scourged and pierced and crucified, fulfilling the nature of His appointed task. But, knowing all of this in advance, God still sent His Son. And Jesus still came.
I know how brightly my children’s faces beam when they return from successfully completing the mission we send them on from time to time. Can you imagine the smile on Jesus’ face when He returned to heaven, to His Father, after coming back from the dead, after reconciling the world to God and completing the assignment He was given? I truly cannot comprehend the enormity of such things!!
We all are eternally indebted to Jesus for the price He paid for us, and to God for loving us so much that He sent His Son on our behalf. There truly is no greater demonstration of love than this!! And because of what they did for us, we who trust in the Lord as our Savior are a part of God’s family, heirs to the joys and treasures of heaven. Thank You, Jesus! Thank You, God!
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