It was on TV news. A body was found in a ditch behind a house. The man appeared to have been tortured and then drowned. His body was thrown away like so much trash. Police were unsure of the motive, but believed it might have had something to do with drugs.
It happens every day—lives are carelessly taken and just as carelessly tossed aside as refuse.
An outside observer, perhaps from another planet, might notice how babies are thrown in dumpsters, and children, women and men are abused, humiliated and exploited daily. He would see how casually and callously murder is committed. He would watch as people cheat, lie and steal from each other, with little or no regard for the misery left behind. What else could he conclude, except that human life is of little value?
An outside observer did notice just such a situation on this earth. His heart was broken by the way life was disrespected and disregarded by the very people who had been given such a precious gift. He decided to give his own life—the most valuable life ever lived—to redeem, restore and reconcile them to himself.
His plan was to come to earth as one of us. He was a normal child, born to a typical family, and even learned a trade before he began the work of his primary mission. One of his goals was to reaffirm the value of human life. He reached out to many whose lives were considered worthless by others. He declared their value by promising a rich, full and eternal life if they would only believe in him.
He was rewarded with a cruel death. His body would have been dumped in an anonymous grave if not for a handful of people who cared enough to lay him in a new tomb. His life was considered worthless by those he came to save, and to all appearances, we were back to square one.
All was not lost, however, because three days after the horrible death of the Savior of the world, a ray of hope appeared with the dawn. He wasn’t dead! His life was important. He was not left in the grave but was resurrected to life. As a result, we know our lives are important to him. All life is important to him, to be respected, valued and treated with dignity.
Because of one life—one very important life—we will not be left in the grave, but we will also be resurrected to life, to be forever with the Father.