July 8, 2023

Matthew 12: 12 “How much more valuable is a man than a sheep!” (NIV)

We value what men do. God values what men are.*

Jesus asked the question quoted here in response to the Pharisees’ outrage over his disciples’ picking and eating grain on the Sabbath, and his healing of a man’s shriveled hand on that same day. If your sheep falls in a ditch on the Sabbath, he says, you’re not going to just leave it there. And if you feel that strongly about rescuing your livestock on the Sabbath, why do you object to feeding the hungry and healing the injured? Aren’t people more valuable than animals?

With abortion being legal and acceptable in our society, Jesus might hesitate to ask this question today because the answer just might not make the same point that it did then. Eagle eggs, baby seals, and puppies are regarded more highly than human life. Now that people are convinced that an unborn baby isn’t human yet, the next step in our devolution is to dehumanize lives that are no longer valuable to society.

Sadly, I see Christians buying into this philosophy. I’m not talking about how they view abortion or euthanasia; I’m talking about how they see themselves when they have less to offer the Kingdom than they used to. One friend, once an active and vital servant in our church, has an illness that has sidelined him permanently. He thinks he no longer has any value. Another friend, a widow, used to be the go-to gal when the other older ladies needed a ride to the doctor or a day out. Now that she has had to give up her car, she misses her sense of purpose.

We may outlive our usefulness to society and the local church, but our value to God is never determined by how much we do or how well we do it. In Galatians 5: 6, Paul writes that the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. I can’t think of a stronger expression of faith than to accept God’s assessment of your value to him just as you are.

Your life counts because you are valued by God. Achievements and failures don’t alter your value in his eyes.*