Sacrifice is the act of giving up oneself for the benefit of another. In Hebrew, the word sacrifice is Korban, which signifies “an offering that brings us closer to God”. This selfless act draws our attention away from ourself and towards another. Yet, our heart will have a hard time offering sacrifice if our heart has a hard time receiving love. For a sacrifice of worship is offered from a grateful heart rather than obligation.

As moms, our lives are filled with sacrifice: cooking a warm meal after a long day, drinking a cold cup of coffee because the 30 minutes it takes to cool is much too soon to help someone get their lunch, pick up the trash, clean up the sticky substance on the kitchen floor etc, etc. We push ourselves out of our comfort zone for our kids, and grow in ways that we didn’t even think imaginable. All these things take sacrifices that stem from our love for them.

Sacrifice is an outward expression of our thoughts and heart. Our love for the Lord should propel this, yet sometimes we withhold the very things that should come as a thank you for the grace that we receive every day.

In John 12, we are reminded of a time when the Jewish people expressed a beautiful representation of sacrifice. They knew Jesus was coming, so they laid their cloaks and palm branches for Jesus as He rode the donkey down the road to the Mount of Olives. This was not a surplus notion of giving the clothes they were going to donate to the thrift store; this was a humble act of sacrifice.

During the 33 years Jesus walked on the earth, the Jews had cultivated a deep admiration for Him. They had witnessed His miracles, listened to His teachings, experienced His service, and felt His love firsthand. As they laid down their cloaks and palm branches before Him, they were publicly declaring Him as both their King and source of hope.  As they cried “Hosanna” it revealed the longings of their heart, for in Hebrew it means, “I beg you to save.” Though many may have been hoping for an earthly king who would deliver them from Roman oppression, Jesus came to offer something infinitely greater. He came to bring salvation not just from earthly suffering but for our very souls.

Sacrifice was strewn through this story, as not only the cloaks, but also the donkey that Jesus road in on was given in sacrifice. Jesus had instructed the disciples while they were in the Mount of Olives to go to the next village and find a colt that had not been ridden. They were told to take the colt and say, “The Lord needs it.”  God prepared this fellows heart, even to the point of offering part of his livelihood.

Sometimes if we overthink obedience, we may question if we should, but we need to trust that God has already gone before us. Follow the Holy Spirit’s nudges in your life. Seek to understand God’s will rather than being confined by our limited reason. Let the Word of God be your beacon and guide as you put your trust in the ruler who has the whole world in His hands.

These series of sacrifices lead towards the greatest sacrifice of all. In just 5 days, Jesus would be nailed to a cross and be beaten and bruised for our transgression. Christ’s sacrifice would take pain, emotionally and physically. With each step he took towards the cross, He was proclaiming that He deemed us worth His sacrifice and love. He could have caused a fleet of angels to come protect Himself, but love was at the forefront of his mind. If we ever question God’s love for us, remember the cross, and the sacrificial choice that was made at Golgotha.

“Greater love has no one than this, than the one who lay down his life for his friend.” John 15:13

The greatest sacrifice of all was given by the One who shouldn’t have had to sacrifice, yet He willingly gave up Himself to make a way for our salvation.

May we live with open hands and  grateful hearts willing to offer whatever the Lord has entrusted to us in humility to our King, who offered Himself as propiation for our sins out of His immense love for us.

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would love that I would have not a single bit of talent left and could say, I used everything you gave me.” Erma Bombeck