Another Way of Looking at John 3:16-18

From Father William Bausch:

Let me put what I’m saying in the form of a story. After the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church’s pastor slowly stood up, walked to the pulpit, and before he gave his sermon briefly introduced a guest minister who was in the service that evening. The pastor told the congregation that the guest minister was one of his dearest childhood friends, and he wanted him to have a few minutes to greet the church and share whatever he felt would be appropriate for the service.

With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak: “Once upon a time, a father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific coast,” he began, “when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to the shore. The waves were so high that, even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright, and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized.”

The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story. The minister continued: “ Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life: to which boy would he throw the other end of the lifeline? He only had seconds to make that decision. The father knew that his son was a believer in Jesus, a good Christian; he also knew that his son’s friend was living a sinful life. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torment of the waves. Finally, as the father yelled out, ‘I love you, son,’ he threw out the lifeline to his son’s friend. By the time the father had pulled his son’s friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of the night. His body was never recovered.”

By this time, the two teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for the next words to come out of the old minister’s mouth. “The father”, he continued, “knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save his son’s friend.” The aged minister then paused and said with fervor, “How great is the love of God that He should do the same for us. Our heavenly Father sacrificed his only begotten Son that we could be saved. I urge you to accept His offer to rescue you and take a hold of the lifeline He is throwing out to you at this service.”

With that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room. Well, within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man’s side. “That was a nice story,” politely stated one of the boys, “but I don’t think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son’s life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian.”

“Well, you’ve got a point there”, the old man replied lancing down at his worn bible. As a soft smile broadened his narrow face, he looked up at the boys and said, “It sure isn’t very realistic, is it? But standing here today to tell you that story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His Son for me. You see, I was that father, and your pastor over there--he is my son’s friend.”