John 18 records of one of the most climactic moments in the life of Jesus: His betrayal and arrest. We might be familiar with this incident, but let us take a moment to truly reflect about how this has impacted our lives today.

A worthless exchange

No one would ever exchange something more valuable for something of significantly less value – such an idea seems downright foolish, perhaps even unthinkable. However, the last two verses of John 18 record the Jews’ unanimous decision to crucify Jesus, the Son of God, over Barabbas, the robber.

Aside from the Jews, we know of other characters in the Bible who made such backward exchanges: Esau exchanged his birthright for a small bowl of stew (Gen 25:29-34), and Judas exchanged his Lord for a measly thirty pieces of silver (Lk 22:3-6). But why would they do such a thing?

What do we truly value?

We might think such exchanges are absolutely ridiculous, but we might actually be guilty of the same thing. “This job opportunity is too good not to accept, even though the workplace is much further away from church.” “My friends will look down on me if I don’t go to the party with them… skipping Friday night service just once won’t hurt.” “I’d rather spend my time on my favourite activities than reading the Bible.”

We make such decisions because we deem what is less valuable to be more valuable, and vice versa. The same way Esau deemed the bowl of stew more highly than his birthright, we often esteem things that benefit our flesh to be more valuable than those benefitting our spirituality.

Let us recall what Jesus exchanged for our lives. When He was confronted by His captors, He did not attack them or allow His disciples to do so (Jn 18:11). Despite possessing divine powers and a kingly title, Jesus willingly handed Himself over to the chief priests and Pharisees to fulfil God’s plan of salvation for us. This also meant giving up His life in the most excruciating and humiliating way, which He was completely ready to do: “Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?” (Jn 18:11)

Conclusion

If we ever struggle to see the value in pursuing our faith, let us remember Jesus’ sacrifice for us. We were all sinners condemned to die once, but our worthless lives were redeemed by the priceless blood of the Son of God. As John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Would we exchange our chance at eternal life for temporary fleshly satisfactions?

May Jesus Christ not only be our Lord and Saviour, but also King of our hearts. Let us honour Him for the priceless sacrifice He gave for us, and hold on tightly to this grace for the rest of our lives.