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The best trade offer comes from Jesus, a local pastor says.

One of the joys of my boyhood years was collecting baseball cards. I used to save up my pocket change and ride my bike to the convenience store on a weekly basis to see what cards might be in those 10-cent packages with a cheap piece of chewing gum inside.

But the best part of collecting cards was spending hours trying to negotiate a trade with my friends. Trading became a challenge of strategy, letting them think the card I was giving up was so valuable, while downplaying what they offered. Of course, the idea was to get the best deal possible and gain from the trade. And I did pretty well, adding a host of cards to my collection.

Most everyone understands that trading mentality, whether it is on a dealership parking lot, inside a discount store or at home with family. People play the trading game all the time — scratching the other person’s back to get what they want.

When a trade doesn’t seem to go our way, we negotiate a new deal. In fact, many have tried the trading game on their marriages, families, careers and possessions, only to find that what they traded for might not really satisfy their need. Oh, sure, it might seem like a better deal, but the long-term cost is far greater, making it a poor trade.

That’s what makes Easter so amazing. Instead of trading up, Jesus traded down. He did something that most people would think foolish — offering to trade down his sinless life for our sinful one.

Instead of us facing a permanent death for our sins, Jesus took our place and offered us his life. He threw in all his cards to get the one that mattered most to him — ours. To prove the deal was true, he came back to life again!

Easter is celebrating his resurrection, the one event that makes Christianity unique above all other systems of faith. Jesus even predicted it, saying, “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25); and he later confirmed the terms of the deal: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

So here’s the deal about Easter and Jesus. Each of us has been offered a trade: Jesus will take on our death if we’ll take on his life. It’s radical, unbelievable, amazing! If we turn down the deal, we face our own death separate from God. If we make the trade, then we live for Christ on earth and receive his resurrection and life in Heaven. The question is: Do you want to trade?

Maybe the first step in making that trade with God is to check out the story at a local church this Easter.

Don’t get stuck with the wrong card in your hand. Make the trade!

• To contact Scott McFarland at Journey Christian Church, call 833-8470 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it All spiritual leaders within the Tracy community are invited to write columns for Reflections on Faith.