A Sacrifice Greater Than the Cross?

What do you think Heaven will be like? Revelation 21:21 talks about gates of pearl and streets of gold, while John 14:2 talks about a house with many rooms. The New Testament contains a lot of what I consider to be metaphorical statements about Heaven, but few specifics.

For me, the most illuminating verses about Heaven come from Revelation 21:3-4, which say:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

In other words, Heaven will be a place without evil, without hurt, and without death. Heaven will have no room for hatred or bitterness or resentment or cruelty. It will be a place where goodness and kindness and love always prevail. It will be a place where, as the Lord’s prayer says, God’s will is done—always and at all times.

If you found yourself in such a place, would you ever want to leave?

Would you ever choose to leave?

One person did. He chose to leave Heaven and come to a place that is full of hatred and bitterness and resentment and cruelty.

He was the king of Heaven. He was the perfect ruler in the perfect place. He was powerful enough to command twelve legions of angels. In Heaven Jesus was large and in charge. He gave up all of that to be our teacher and our savior.

As if that wasn’t enough, He came as a helpless, humble infant, and then grew up as a child, in submission to His parents. Rich Mullins, talking about his song, “Boy Like You, Man Like Me,” wondered what it must have been like for Jesus to have to go to Hebrew school and learn the scriptures that He probably knew better than the teachers.

Which was harder? To voluntarily leave His throne in Heaven and walk this earth as a child and then as a man, or to suffer the humiliation and agony of the cross? Jesus endured at least 3 hours on the cross, but His lifetime as a child and as a man lasted more than 30 years.

So I wonder which was harder—leaving Heaven or submitting to the cross. We may never know. But we should always be grateful that He did both of those things. Because by leaving Heaven He made our entry into Heaven possible.