It seems fitting that I broach the subject of Forgiveness on the night of Holy Saturday, leading to Easter Sunday. Let's revisit Good Friday first.
Good Friday -- the day Jesus Christ was brutally tortured, humiliated, scorned and jeered at and spat upon, and had spikes driven through his hands and feet. (And you think a paper cut is bad??) As if that wasn't bad enough, then the wood he was nailed to was raised, which led to his entire body weight being supported by his nailed feet. The usual natural cause of death in crucifixions was suffocation -- when the person could no longer push their body up enough to get a gasp of air to fill their lungs. For hours, Jesus endured this -- the physical pain, the emotional assaults, the spiritual abandonment. For what purpose was all this crazy suffering? What victory is there in dying?
Holy Saturday -- for most of the Jews, Passover was over. It was just another tradition, which I speculate many had chalked it up to "just another holiday". For the ones who believed the words of Jesus, they were likely still stunned by the last 48 hours. What a complete 180 degrees! What now?
What was all that about?
Would you believe all that was about forgiveness, about wiping the slate clean? The holy and perfect God, who could not spare the lives of any unclean (sinful) people or animals who came near Him, had told His people that blood must be shed in order for them to approach Him, and that from a distance. The people were sprinkled (more like splashed) with blood as a symbol of covering up their sins before the holy God, so that they could approach Him. So year after year, they kept having to offer these bloody sacrifices to make atonement for their imperfect, sinful nature... until Jesus Christ. The only perfect sacrifice, offered once for all on the bloodstained cross. God's provision for God's forgiveness of God's people. The blood of Christ -- the permanent atonement of the sinful nature of God's people, giving us access to Him now in a way that most of the ancient Jews never had.
The story continues, but that's tomorrow.
Tonight, I share that because God has forgiven me, I have a spiritual and moral obligation to forgive another. If God has accepted the blood of His own Son for the forgiveness of my sins, and the sins of all His children, how much more so should I forgive one who has wronged me, no matter how badly I have been hurt? I forgive because God has already forgiven.
Good Friday -- the day Jesus Christ was brutally tortured, humiliated, scorned and jeered at and spat upon, and had spikes driven through his hands and feet. (And you think a paper cut is bad??) As if that wasn't bad enough, then the wood he was nailed to was raised, which led to his entire body weight being supported by his nailed feet. The usual natural cause of death in crucifixions was suffocation -- when the person could no longer push their body up enough to get a gasp of air to fill their lungs. For hours, Jesus endured this -- the physical pain, the emotional assaults, the spiritual abandonment. For what purpose was all this crazy suffering? What victory is there in dying?
Holy Saturday -- for most of the Jews, Passover was over. It was just another tradition, which I speculate many had chalked it up to "just another holiday". For the ones who believed the words of Jesus, they were likely still stunned by the last 48 hours. What a complete 180 degrees! What now?
What was all that about?
Would you believe all that was about forgiveness, about wiping the slate clean? The holy and perfect God, who could not spare the lives of any unclean (sinful) people or animals who came near Him, had told His people that blood must be shed in order for them to approach Him, and that from a distance. The people were sprinkled (more like splashed) with blood as a symbol of covering up their sins before the holy God, so that they could approach Him. So year after year, they kept having to offer these bloody sacrifices to make atonement for their imperfect, sinful nature... until Jesus Christ. The only perfect sacrifice, offered once for all on the bloodstained cross. God's provision for God's forgiveness of God's people. The blood of Christ -- the permanent atonement of the sinful nature of God's people, giving us access to Him now in a way that most of the ancient Jews never had.
The story continues, but that's tomorrow.
Tonight, I share that because God has forgiven me, I have a spiritual and moral obligation to forgive another. If God has accepted the blood of His own Son for the forgiveness of my sins, and the sins of all His children, how much more so should I forgive one who has wronged me, no matter how badly I have been hurt? I forgive because God has already forgiven.
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