My wife, Barbara, loves to shop at the flea markets, re-sell shops, and discount stores. She doesn’t just shop for herself, she shops for others, seeing things she thinks others will enjoy. She found a cookie jar at a shop that was very unique that she knew her daughter, Lisa, would enjoy. It had three farm animals stacked together, a cow, a pig, and a chicken on top. Coming from a kitchen somewhere, where there was some frying taking place, it had a generous layer of greasy, sticky, dust on it. Its use and value in that location was no longer needed, so it was discarded, passed on to another who might see some value in it. So Barb saw it and knew a little cleaning up would make it shine like new and make a wonderful little gift for no special occasion, just to say, I’m thinking of you and I love you. So, the cookie jar, redeemed from the mass of unwanted goods whose value had diminished to zero to the former owner, now sits proudly in a new home. It is cared for, cleaned up, and commissioned to good use in the new home, where it is now admired by all.
One day the Lord God went shopping. He saw a dirty old cookie jar that nobody wanted, but he saw value in it. The former owner had just used the dirty old jar and had discarded it. But the Lord found it. He saw such value in the old cookie jar that he decided that all the dirty old jars, cups, glasses, plates, and silverware would be good for his house. He found the price to buy it all. It would cost him his Son to buy it all, but the Lord God saw that this would furnish his house to feed the world. The Father’s Son said he would pay the price. He came to earth, lived a righteous life without fault, and he gave himself to suffer and die to buy back, to redeem, the vessels to furnish his Father’s house. All the work required, he fulfilled to the letter. By his sacrifice, by the blood that he shed, the price for all the vessels and wares was paid in full. Once purchased, they all had to be cleaned up for use. Under the direction of the Word of the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the cleaning takes place. Now, through the operation of God, the once dirty, discarded vessels now are cared for, cleaned up, and commissioned for use in the Father’s house. Now the vessels gleam, reflecting the glory of God, showing to all how each vessel and ware is valued by the Father. Do you realize how valuable you are in God’s eyes? The Son of God came and gave his life’s blood so you could dwell in the Father’s house forever. Come to him. Turn from sin trusting Jesus’ blood for cleansing. Live in his house forever.