What a Good Friday!

I have to be honest - I'm not the biggest animal lover in the world. I mean, I think puppies and kittens are cute like the rest of you, but I don't generally have deep feelings of affection for any animal, pet or not (I don't think it's wrong to... that's just my personality). So when I read in Old Testament Passover accounts about the killing of lambs and bulls in the place of sinners, I have to admit that it doesn't strike me as being THAT big a deal. Certainly, seeing anything die on your behalf would be sobering, and watching thousands of animals die on one day would be striking (and gruesome). But they're just sheep and cattle.


It's a whole different ball game to have a HUMAN BEING die on your behalf. And I mean a whole different ball game! And not only was Jesus Christ a human being, he was the only perfect human being; he was "God eternal" and yet he was "humbled to the grave" (Behold Our God) in my place, for my sin. A perfect HUMAN BEING had to die on a gruesome cross if I was going to escape God's wrath for my sin. And a perfect HUMAN BEING actually chose to die on a gruesome cross so that I could escape God's wrath for my sin, and have life eternal. 
Amazing love! How can it be that you, my God, should die for me?


For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6-11)
_________________________________________________________________


"He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter 2:22-24)


Thank you, Jesus, for living a life so perfect that you didn't even open your mouth against those who wrongly accused and convicted you, and for living that perfect life in the place of me, one who is so quick to anger against those who wrongly treat me. 


Thank you, Jesus, for not only bearing my daily burdens, but for bearing the lifetime's worth of my sin, for being wounded and dying the cruel death I deserved, suffering the wrath of God against all my wrongs in my place.


Thank you, Jesus, for doing these things so that I might be free from the chains of sin and death, and have power to live a life pleasing to God. And thank you that even when I stumble in sin, your perfect life covers me, so that God sees me as pleasing.


Thank you, Jesus, for humbling yourself to become a HUMAN BEING, so that you could take my place on the cross.


This is mercy - completely undeserved, and yet, very free.

Do you know this Jesus?