The following story perhaps sums up the real meaning of the Crucifixion better than any other I have ever heard. I pass it on to you.
A minister was going down the street when he met a little boy with a cage of English Sparrows. The little birds were frightened nearly to death and the minister asked, "Where did you get the birds son?" "Oh" replied the boy, I set a trap and caught them. I put out a little bait and they went right into the trap and I caught them." "What are you going to do with them?" asked the minister. "I'm going to poke them and tease them for awhile then I'm going to kill them. I have a torn cat at home that likes to eat birds so I am going to feed them all to him." The kind minister said, "Son, I would like to buy the birds from you, what will you take for them?" "Oh", replied the boy, "You wouldn't want these birds, they ain't no good, they're just old sparrows and can't sing good like other birds."
"But I do want them," insisted the minister. "What will you take for them?"
"I'll take two dollars," replied the boy.
The minister gave him the money and smiling from ear to ear, the boy handed over the cage of birds. He ran gleefully down the street and the kind man went around the corner, opened the cage door and set all the frightened sparrows free.
That is a good picture of the plight of the human race. The devil cleverly scattered some bait around a cage and the unsuspecting human race fell for the trick and became prisoners to the devil's plans. Then one day the kind Jesus saw our sad plight - Prisoners without hope - Doomed to destruction.
He inquired "What are you going to do with them?"
"Oh," replied the devil, "I'm going to kill them. I am going to first use them for everything I can and then I am going to kill them in hell."
"What will you take for them?" the Saviour asked.
"Oh," said the devil, "You wouldn't want this crowd. They are no good. They would just hate you, spit in your face and even kill you. They are a mean, wicked bunch. You wouldn't want to buy them."
However, the kind Jesus continued to bargain and he said, "But tell me, what do you want for them?"
The devil then said with a smirk on his face, "It will be very high. It will cost you the last drop of blood you have, yea your life."
Then the Saviour went to Calvary, paid the full price, opened the cage door and let us all go free.
John 3:16 KJV: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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