This may sound silly, but since college I’ve been collecting children’s books in Spanish for my own children someday. Whenever I go into a bookstore, I go straight to the Spanish children’s section. The other day, Jason and I were in Border’s and they happened to be having a close-out sale (Sweet!). Naturally I headed to “my section” and I was ecstatic to find the Jesus Storybook Bible – a bilingual version! It’s been a book I’ve had in the back of my mind to buy someday ever since I first heard about it 3 years ago. Since I bought it, I’ve been reading a story out of it every night. I absolutely LOVE it. There are times when it brings me to tears. The author has chosen all the “major” stories of the Bible and has written them in an absolutely beautiful organic way, truly getting to the essence. Each story “whispers his name”. That is my favorite part of the Jesus Storybook Bible. The author ends each story by tying it to the imminent coming of Jesus. I love it because the truth is that every book and story of the Bible is crying out Jesus and anticipating his birth and then again his final return.
Here is one of my favorite parts so far. From the story of when sin first entered the Garden of Eden. The ( ) are my additions:
Eve picked the fruit and ate some. And Adam ate some too. And a terrible lie came into the world. It would never leave. It would live on in every human heart, whispering to every one of God’s children: ”God doesn’t love me.” (How true is that!) …Even though he (God) knew he would suffer, God had a plan – a magnificent dream. One day, he would get his children back. One day, he would make the world their perfect home again. And one day, he would wipe away every tear from their eyes.
You see, no matter what, in spite of everything, God would love his children – with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always Forever Love.
And though they would forget him, and run from him, deep in their hearts, God’s children would miss him always, and long for him – lost children yearning for their home.
Before they left the garden, God whispered a promise to Adam and Eve: “It will not always be so! I will come to rescue you! And when I do, I’m going to do battle against the snake. I’ll get rid of the sin and the dark and the sadness you let in here. I’m coming back for you!”
And he would. One day, God himself would come.
And another from the story of Abraham and Isaac:
Abraham liked giving presents to God. He gave God his animals. They were called “sacrifices” and they were a way to say “I love you” to God. (What a beautiful way to describe what sacrifices were).
But this time God didn’t want a lamb or a goat, God wanted Abraham to give him something more – much more. He wanted Abraham to give him his son, his only son, then son he loved – Isaac.
Put his boy on the altar and kill him as the sacrifice? How could God want him to do such a terrible thing? Abraham didn’t understand. But he knew that God was his father and loved him. And so Abraham trusted him.
…Everything was ready. Abraham took the knife. Tears were filling up his eyes. Pain was filling up his heart. His hand was shaking. He lifted the knife high into the air.
-”STOP!” God said. ”Don’t hurt the boy. I want him to live and not die. I know now that you love me because you would have given me your only son.”
…Suddenly, Abraham saw a ram caught in some brambles – the sacrifice. God had given them what they needed just in time. The raw would die so Isaac didn’t have to. And so Abraham sacrificed the ram, instead of his son.
(Here comes my favorite part)…And as they sat there on the mountaintop, watching the embers of the fire die in the cool night air, the stars above them sparkling in the velvet sky, God helped Abraham and Isaac understand something. God wanted his people to live, not die. God wanted to rescue his people, not punish them. But they must trust him.
“One day Someone will be born into your family,” God promised them. ”And he will bring happiness to the whole world.”
God was getting ready to give the whole word a wonderful present. It would be God’s way to tell his people, “I love you.”
Many years later, another Son would climb another hill, carrying wood on his back. Like Isaac, he would trust his Father and do what his Father asked. He wouldn’t struggle or run away.
Who was he? God’s Son, his only Son – the Son he loved.
The Lamb of God.
