Perhaps you saw the story. An original Leonardo da Vinci painting sold this week for $450.3 million.
The painting is titled, “ Salvator Mundi,” which means, Savior of the World. The painting shows Christ, in Renaissance dress, giving a benediction with His raised right hand and crossed fingers while holding a crystal sphere in His left hand.
The painting was produced by da Vinci in 1500. Since then it’s been sold, traded, lost, stolen, painted over, and restored. And now, this 25.8 inch × 19.2 inch work of art belongs to someone who paid a record price for the image.
Da Vinci’s Jesus, for $450.3 million. The Savior of the World. An image, frozen in time. Inanimate. An image in oil on walnut. But static.
This is not the most significant price ever paid for Jesus. No, God Himself sent His precious beloved son to us. Jesus left the throne room for a stable. $450.3 million pales in comparison.
Our Jesus, God in the flesh. Jesus, God who lived among us. Immanuel. Alive. Available.
Yes, available. Not just to the highest bidder. Not just to a single individual. But to us. Each of us.
The price has been paid. Not at an auction hosted by Christie’s. Not by an anonymous buyer. But by God.
And in that price Jesus becomes available to everyone.
The Savior of the World, not on display, but our redeemer. Living. Active. Our King to be worshipped. Our Shepherd to be followed. Our brother to be loved.
Every available resource in the world could not have purchased Jesus.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4–7, ESV)
The immeasurable riches of His grace…
$450.3 million doesn’t begin to count the cost. Only God. Always God. Jesus.
For us. What amazing grace. What extraordinary sacrifice.
The gavel has been pounded. We are His and He is ours. No auction required.
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