Romans 5:8

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)

Yesterday I was hand billing at a train station. That is, I was handing out brochures (bills) to invite people to our seminar which we are hoping will generate their interest in the Bible and God. I do a lot of hand billing, but something new and exiting happened yesterday. I offered the brochure to a rather rough-looking man who had a rolled up newspaper in his hand. He took one look at it and with impressive deftness smacked it straight to the ground with his newspaper. I immediately and instinctively gave a glib and cheerful goodbye as he walked away. I find this kind of behaviour more invigorating than intimidating. The brochure was drenched in a puddle and one of my fingers which was in the way of the newspaper club had gone a bit numb, but the experience made me more cheerful. A crowd of commuters came around the corner and started passing me, and more of them took brochures than usual. I was glad I had not been put off.
Not long afterwards, another rough looking man passed and I offered him a brochure. I don't remember exactly what he said, but the word he emphasised was a strong expletive (swear/curse word) and he didn't take a brochure. You get this kind of experience from time to time, but it's the people that run away from you that hurt you more. Not that I want more people to swear at me, but when another person behaves badly we feel like a good person, when another person feels victimised by us we feel bad.
I only thought about this because of the passage in Romans here. I was thinking about who I would die for. I remember in school when I was planning to apply for the Australian Federal Police one of my classmates asked if I would take a bullet for the Prime Minister (our equivalent of the President) and of course I said I would. Of course, it would be part of my job then, but I really think I would even now. The Prime Minister's life is important to my country and therefore to most of those I love. If my country is at peace my family and friends are far more likely to be safe. The death of a Prime Minister could start a war, to prevent that my life would be worth expending (paying). So logically it makes sense to die for the Prime Minister, but there are probably quite a few people that I would do that for, maybe some for which there is no logical reason. Some of these people I am more sure I would die for than others. I got nipped by a little dog to protect my little sister, but that's pretty much the closest I have come to actually getting real experience in this thing. As it says in Romans, maybe some of us would give our lives for someone who we think is worth it in some way.
But would I risk my life for those two ruffians that I met at the train station? What about the dozens of other ruffians I have met in various places. I don't know what I would actually do in the confusion of the moment, but logically of course I wouldn't. There are some people that the world would frankly be better off without (this is not against those two guys personally, they may be okay, I'm referring now to wicked men in general), and like most of us I don't class myself as one of them. So why should I deprive the world of myself and foist a thug on it instead, who would probably just go and sell drugs to school kids anyway.

Before we were converted we were no better a prospect for Jesus to die for than the drug pusher. Jesus' life was worth more, Jesus' even had the option of living forever. But Jesus died so that you and I could potentially change our ways and life forever. Many people have abused this gift, but if you take hold of it and accept Jesus' sacrifice for you then he will consider that his life was worth expending.