Earlier in the week Grandpa and I were putting seed planting trays in the little green house on the farm. I was clearing off a shelf to set the planting trays on, when I found an old rusted bird cage that Great Grandma had
set in the greenhouse years before. Grandpa remembered it as the one his folk's had in the house when he was a little boy for their pet bird. I decided to take the cage to the house to clean and paint it, maybe
using it for some sort of decor.
Later in the week I was surfing the internet and praying for an idea for the "Gospel for Kids," when this story from Paul Harvey appeared. Is it a coincidence that it is about a "bird cage"?
The Bird Cage - by Paul Harvey
Boston preacher Dr. S. D. Gordon placed a beat up, broken, rusted, old bird cage beside his pulpit when
he told this story.
An unkempt, unwashed little lad about 10 years old was coming up the alley swinging this old caved in bird cage with several tiny birds shivering on the floor of it. The compassionate Dr. Gordon asked
the boy where he got the birds. He said he trapped them.
Dr. Gordon asked what he was going to do with them. The boy said he was going to play with them and have fun with them. The preacher said, "Sooner or later you'll get tired of them. Then what are you going to do with
them?"
The lad said, "I have some cats. I'll feed them to my cats. "
Dr. Gordon said, " Son, how much do you want for the birds?"
The boy, surprised, hesitated and said," Mister, you don't want these birds. They're just plain old field birds. They can't even sing. They're ugly. "
The preacher said, " Just tell me how much do you want?"
The grubby little lad thought about it. He squinted up one eye. He calculated and hesitated then said, "Two dollars."
To his surprise Dr Gordon reached into his pocket and handed the boy two one dollar bills. The preacher took the cage. The boy, in a wink, hurried up the alley.
In a sheltered crevice between buildings Dr. Gordon opened the door of the cage and tapping on the rusty exterior he encouraged the little birds one at a time to find their way out through the narrow door and fly away.
This having accounted for the empty cage beside the pulpit, the preacher went on to tell what seemed at first like a separate story.
About how once upon a time Jesus and the devil had engaged in a negotiation. Satan had boasted how he had baited a trap in Eden's garden and had caught himself a world full of people.
"What are you going to do with all those people in the cage?" Jesus wanted to know.
The Devil said, "I'm going to play with them, tease them. I'll make them marry and divorce, fight and kill one another. I'm going to teach them to throw bombs on one another. I'm going to have fun with them! "
Jesus said, "You can't have fun with them forever. When you get tired of playing, what are you going to do with them?"
Satan said, "Condemn them! They're no good anyway! Condemn them! Kill them!"
Jesus said, "How much do you want for them?"
Satan said, "You can't be serious! If I sell them to you, they'll just spit on you. They'll hate you. They'll hit you and beat you. They'll hammer nails into you. They're no good. "
Jesus said, "How much?"
Satan said, "All of your tears and all of your blood."
Jesus took the cage and paid the price and opened the door.
This is why we love Jesus.
(Please read Roman's 5:6-15 and Hebrews 10:1–20 with the children.)