Here we are on Good Friday. There isn’t a whole lot of good about it other than we know that our Savior rose again. The events that happened on this day so long ago needed to occur into order for us to be set free from our sin. A man who knew no sin was beaten and bruised with such brutal force he was nearly dead by the time he was forced to drag a giant cross on his back to the top of a hill outside the city of Jerusalem. He was mocked. He was tortured. He was absolutely innocent.
How is this justice? How is God just if he sent his son to the cross for something He didn’t do?
The way we see justice is not always the way God sees justice. Picture the fact that Jesus WAS God, so remember that God Himself went to the cross. He sent himself. I know, that’s a lot to take in but ponder it for a moment with me here. If Jesus was fully man, and fully God, then we know that God was sending himself to the cross for our sins. He was perfect and flawless as only God can be and so He was the perfect sacrifice for atonement.
Essentially Jesus took on the entire burden of our sin and set us free so that we could walk with the Lord in communion as believers. No more atonement sacrifices needed, as was once commonly practiced. God loves his children so much that He himself set us free of our sin. Free.
Now this still may leave you with the question of why does someone being sacrificed on a cross set anyone free of their sin? Deep. That’s deep. Almost too deep for my pre-coffee self this morning. I wish I had a fantastic answer for this but the truth is I really don’t know fully why this was the way God saw fit to set us free. There really are some things that we just need to trust that God has our best in mind and believe what He says and then follow even though we may not have the answer to every single question. (For a little more insight check out this article.)
What I do know is that God chose to send himself. He showed us the perfect example of unconditional love through Jesus and the life that He lived here as a man. He showed us our great need for a savior through his own perfect life. No man can achieve that level of love apart from the Father. We can get close, but it will always fall short in the long run. His purity is unmatched.
This might all sound a little nutty and far fetched etc. I can understand that. Before I “believed” I felt pretty much the same way. I thought the whole Gospel was a sham and a really weird story of a coverup for an illegitimate child.
Oh how wrong I was. I wish that there was a way for me to show you how true this all really is but that is something only God himself can do. So I will continue to share my experience and the truth I have come to learn through my own journey and maybe, if you haven’t already, you too will taste and see that God is real and that He loves you very deeply. He has a purpose for your life and your calling is great for the Kingdom.
This Easter I would encourage you to reflect on what the cross is all about. What does it really mean and where do you fit in this picture? How does what Jesus did effect your life? Maybe you are in a place where what He did doesn’t effect your life at all. That’s ok too. Just be honest with yourself and where you are at with the events of this weekend. Maybe start with the question of how did He rise again and what does that mean? Or why would God send His son for my sin? Questions are good, and should be asked. Seek the answers rather than ignoring the question.
God we thank you as we remember Easter this weekend. As we recount the events that occurred would you pierce our hearts again with the reality of what you did on the cross? Would you remind us of how we fit in this greater picture and help us to trust in you if we have not already done so? Lord would you be with us as we share your truth and help others to know your way through our own lives. Praise you God for all that you did to set us free from the wages of sin: death. In your precious name we pray, Amen.
More resources:
Easter Devotional by Billy Graham
unapologeticallyhis.com 