Life Spark: The Savior came to save your life. (John 12:44-47)
I remember stealing several cases of beer out of the back of a truck when I was in high school. The truck was sitting in the dark. If it had been parked on Main Street under the street lights, we would have stayed away. Jesus said that some people love darkness. (John 3:19) I did that night.
46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. 47 I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. (John 12:46-47, NLT)
Jesus came to ‘save’ people. That is the word He used (vs. 47) when He described His reason for showing up on earth. The word ‘saved’ (Greek eksodzo) is translated in the Bible as saved, made whole and healed. To ‘save’ means to lead out of darkness and death and destruction into light and life and salvation.
One time the Jewish religious leaders blasted Jesus for healing a crippled man during a Sabbath-day church service. Here is His reply to His critics: “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” (Luke 6:9 NLT)
Jesus equated saving life with doing good. Read verse nine again. He equated destroying life with doing evil. Legalistic, man-made, ungracious religion actually does the evil one a favor. It destroys lives. Religion often gets off track when religious people see themselves as the prosecution instead of joining in on God’s constant acts of saving lives. Jesus came to help people and heal people and make broken people whole.
Aren’t you glad? This boy is!
Life-action: Think back over your life and remember a time when you did something wrong in the dark. Thank God you didn’t go to jail, or thank Him that you did.