I read an emotional story some time ago about a little girl, Lucy, who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her five-year old brother, who had thankfully survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. He hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath and the said, ‘Yes, I’ll do it if it will save her.’
Well, as the transfusion progressed, he lay in a bed next to his sister and smiled, seeing the colour returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, ‘Will I start to die straight away?’
You see, being so young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor: He thought he was going to have to give her all his blood!
In a sense that’s what Jesus did for us. Each one of us has a serious disease – it’s called ‘sin’! Each one of us needs to be saved. Jesus is the only one who can save us; he sacrificed himself and has paid the price with his own blood. This is the gospel; the good news of salvation and it’s a free gift to all who can accept it.
Jack Canfield & Mark V. Hansen, Chicken Soup For The Soul, Florida: Health Communications, p.27-28