(Delmont Record – 2/18/2014)

God’s Valentine

This past Friday was a good day for many for it was St. Valentine’s Day.  The day on which we express our love for those around us by sending valentines of all sorts – cards, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, flowers, and other nice and pleasant things. We all like to give and receive such gifts. Now what if we were given a gift meant to express love that wasn’t so pleasant to look at? The story that immediately comes to my mind is the one about Vincent Van Gogh and his legendary ear. What I remember hearing as a child was that the troubled painter lopped off his own ear and sent it to a woman he was infatuated with as a sign of his devotion. Now historical research has shown this story to be legendary.  Most likely, Van Gogh’s ear was removed by a friend and fellow painter, Paul Gauguin, in a duel.  True or not, I think it can still serve as a helpful illustration.  No one who received such a gift would think it was a very loving or appropriate gift. A sacrifice, yes, but a completely unnecessary and unwanted one. First of all, it is not pleasant to look at. Second, it serves no purpose. On the other hand, if someone offered up a kidney as a Valentines’ Day gift to someone in need of a transplant that would be a loving gesture even though a kidney itself isn’t all that pleasant to the senses. Yet, the recipient of such a gift would be more grateful than if they had received chocolates and flowers. Such is the nature of God’s valentine gift to humanity.

There are many people who like to hear about how much God loves them, and they like the assurance that God loves everybody. And He does. Yet, it is important that we stop and consider what the Bible says about how God showed us His love. Romans 5:8 reads, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This thought is echoed in the most famous verse that describes God’s love, John 3:16, which reads, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God’s valentine to humanity was the death of His Son on the cross for our sins. Now, that isn’t a very pretty picture. In fact, it is a grotesque thought. The thing that separates this from the Van Gogh legend is that this sacrifice was completely necessary for us. For those who don’t see the need, who don’t believe that we are all sinners or that sin is not that serious, the cross does not look like love. Only when we truly understand our lost condition; only when we come to realize that our sin makes us deserving of the death that Jesus died for us can we begin to understand what God’s love means.

When you look at the cross of Christ, what is your reaction? Do you turn away either in disgust or disdain, or do you fix your eyes there because you see in the body and blood of Jesus the demonstrated and unmistakable love of God? 1 Corinthians 1:18 tells us, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” You don’t have to guess what God’s love is like, and you never have to doubt if God loves you. Just look at the cross and know for certain that God has sent you the most precious Valentine, his Son, Jesus Christ. Trust in that Valentine; trust in the love that God demonstrated there, and you will be saved.