“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”      – Romans 5:6-8

On the radio today, a local businessman discussed an interesting aspect of the Coronavirus pandemic. He said it forced him to prioritize and categorize the relationships in his life. 

Category 1 contains his “worth getting sick for” friends and family. These are the most important people in his life. He cherishes these relationships so much that he has been willing to risk getting the virus in order to be with them. Put another way, the real loss of not being with these special people for months or years trumped the potential risk of catching or spreading the virus. 

Category 2 contains his “not worth getting sick for” friends and family.  These people are still valuable to him, but they are not in his inner core of relationships. These are people you would regret not seeing for a year or longer as you wait out the virus, but they aren’t your most critical relationships. They aren’t worth the risk.

You may take exception to his approach, but he’s right in that we all prioritize our relationships. Your spouse and children mean more to you than the other people in your neighborhood. You may value your Christian friendships over casual acquaintances at the office.

Jesus makes no distinctions. He loves every one of us. He didn’t wait for us to love him or to stop sinning before He was willing to die for us. He selflessly and proactively gave himself up.

With Jesus, there are no “worth dying for” and “not worth dying for” categories. He loves all of us equally. We’re all worth it. He was willing to go far beyond the risk of being harmed. He came to Earth knowing full well the certainty of a horrific, painful death.

Still, two categories remain:

1. Christians – those who are obedient to God’s Word. They believe in Christ, have confessed His name, have repented of their sins, have put on Christ in baptism, and continue to live faithfully.
2. Everyone else.

In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus wants everyone in Category 1. 

They’re all worth it.