Many Christians still sing the hymn that declares:
“What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow! No other fount I know: Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
This is the day when we remember the price Jesus paid for our sins. He suffered for us. He was spit upon in our place. He took the beating we deserved. The prophet Isaiah declared that “the chastisement for our peace (with God) was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) Jesus paid it all!!! The Bible declares that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission (no forgiveness for sin).” (Hebrews 9:22) There is power in the blood that stained the old rugged cross…power to make the vilest of us clean before God.
On the day of His suffering and death, as Herod tried to talk the Jew’s out of condemning an innocent man to a cruel death, the people shouted “crucify Him, crucify Him!!! Seeing that they would not relent, Herod took water and washed his hands declaring to them: “I am innocent of the blood of this just person. You see to it!” To which they said: His blood be on us and our children!!” (Matt.27:24-25) They spoke those words with callous indifference but I KNOW what every believer knows today: Without that blood there is no forgiveness – no remission of sins! No pardon for iniquity! No purification of the soul and no peace with God! We need that blood!
Today, take a moment to consider the high price which Jesus voluntarily paid for your sins and mine so that we, by faith in Him could have an everlasting relationship with the Father. It is a bittersweet day – I grieve that He suffered for me but I am also so grateful that He did.
His death is not however, the END of the story….praise God!
“He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”” (Luke 24:6–7)
They had all heard those words before – they had all heard Him say that He would rise again; but all who had followed Him, without exception, had been overwhelmed with grief over the death of their Teacher, Leader and Friend. No doubt this Saturday, the Saturday following His death – Passover on the Jewish calendar – was a day of sorrow.
Sunday morning, some of the women who had followed Him – Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and other women (see Luke 24:10, Matthew 28:1) were returning to the tomb where two days earlier they had seen Joseph or Arimathea and Nicodemus lay the body of Jesus to rest – they were going to anoint the body of their dead friend not to celebrate their risen Lord (Mark 16:1).
But He wasn’t there.
They thought that someone had stolen it – stolen the body of the Lord (John 20:2):
“Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.””
The disciples did not believe the report of Mary and the women (Luke 24:11):
“And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.”
Two men, Peter and John went to investigate the claim of the women for themselves and wondered after having entered His tomb at the grave cloths in which Jesus had been laid to rest – the blood stained handkerchief which had been around His head and the linen cloths stained with the some of the blood which had flowed from His side on the cross neatly “folded together in a place by themselves” (John 20:5-10). They wondered most of all that Jesus was NOT in the tomb….
But after they had departed the tomb, Mary Magdalene, who had remained there, stood by it weeping. She peered into it and was greeted by two angels who asked her: “Why are you weeping?” (John 20:11) Then she turned and as she did another figure who seemed to her to be the gardener, greeted her saying:
““Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”” (John 20:15)
Then, that gardener spoke her name, “Mary!” and she knew it was Him! He spoke only a few words to her, He told her to tell the others including Peter, who had denied that He knew the Lord, to meet Him at the place in Galilee which he had mentioned to them before (see Mark 16:7).
In excitement she ran to declare the news to the disciples – she had seen the Lord – He is ALIVE!!!
“What’s so good about Friday” asked the voice over the two way radio; the demands of an understaffed and overwhelming night shift had exasperated the man to the point of asking a question that I could not ignore.
So, what makes this particular Friday – good?
My honest answer and the answer of the scriptures is – nothing….nothings good about it….IF Sunday hadn’t come.
Let me ask you, if death had gotten the last word in Jesus’ life would there be any basis for our faith?
The answer comes from the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth where we read the following [1 Cor. 15:12-19] :
“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”
Paul’s answer to our question is “No, there would be no basis for our faith at all if Jesus had not risen.”
The Passion Week as Jesus went through it was the conclusion of the Lord’s mission on earth, the fulfillment of His obsession with the work of His Father to redeem mankind. The Passion Week is, above all other descriptors –the week of Jesus’ most incredible suffering and cruelest torture as our substitute, in our place, paying the price for the sins of all mankind.
At His crucifixion, Jesus Christ was dishonored and
humiliated, a fact which led one modern church historian, the late Dr. Bruce
Shelly to make this statement:
“Christianity is the only major religion to have as its central event, the humiliation of its God.”
With His own blood mixed with the spit of His torturers clinging to and dripping from His face, falsely accused and mockingly adjudicated by the religious leadership of the day, Jesus was nailed to and hung from the cross to pay for the sins of mankind – yours, mine and everyone else”s.
The Apostle Paul said in (Colossians 2:14) that God in Christ had “wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.N
The “handwriting of requirements which were against us God nailed to the cross of Christ” was the Law of Moses, both the ceremonial and the moral code. One commentator wrote:
“Three
expressions describe the law: (1) it is written in ordinances, expressed in decrees
and commandments; (2) it was against us, had a valid claim on us; (3) it was
contrary to us, because we couldn’t meet the claim. Paul states that bond was:
(1) blotted out; (2) taken out of the way; (3) and nailed to His cross. This
was once-for-all removal (2 Cor 5:21; Eph 2:15–16; Gal 3:13). In the East, a
bond is cancelled by nailing it to the post. Our bond of guilt was nailed to Christ’s
cross.”[i]
In a very real sense Jesus became not only the perfect and final Passover lamb but the perfect scapegoat and sin offering to God, slain to atone perfectly for our sin (Heb. 9:12) “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” You and I once stood as debtors condemned under the Law of Moses – the Ten Commandments but Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses (Matt. 5:17) liberating us from condemnation and cancelling the debt against us.
The Psalmist wrote in (Psalm 30:5)
“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”
What’s so good about Friday? The supervisor who asked that question has, no doubt, long forgotten the answer I gave which resulted in a memorable silence on the usually crowded radio frequency. But I told him what I’m telling you: Friday is “good” because it was on that day that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and on Sunday, He arose from the grave alive again!
Apart from the resurrection, the Lord’s death would have been a painful moment of grief and loss for a handful of men and women who had loved and trusted in Him but because He did not remain dead – because He rose again both His death and His resurrection have impacted the lives of millions upon millions over the ages.
God has placed great significance upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ – He has seen to it that it is written (Romans 10:9-10):
“…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Apart from faith in the Risen Savior and His resurrection –
you cannot be saved.
Death did not have the last word in our Savior’s life and I for one rejoice in that fact. The question is, will it have the last word in your life? It doesn’t have to…you don’t have to die in your sins; you don’t have to face God’s judgment alone. Jesus died for your sins as well as mine and he rose again to make everlasting life possible for you in Heaven with Him – all that is required of you to start off is faith.
Joy awaits – will you trust Him today?
[i]
Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible Commentary (pp. 2461–2462). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Our celebration concerning the resurrection of Christ, like the ancient Jewish celebration of Passover has certainly changed over the generations since Jesus rose from the grave. In years past, the occasion has been marked by much tradition – sunrise services, special attire (bows, dresses and suits) along with the more secular aspects of the day – Easter egg hunts, Easter baskets full of chocolates and other seasonal candies as well as family get-togethers; but this year it will be different.
This year it will be like the first Passover in this one way: we will all be “staying safe and sheltering in place.” Just like the Israelites in Egyptian captivity, shut in their homes awaiting the deliverance of God from a plague He was using to set His people free (see Exodus 12:13), we will be shut in our homes awaiting deliverance from a plague as well. For those of us who have believed in the resurrected Lord, the passion week, including Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday will be a time to reflect on the salvation made available to us through the suffering, death and resurrection of our Savior – a time to consider the things which made for our peace.
This year, we will not be able to rely on our pastors and special “in house” church services to share the important message of this season with people who would otherwise not come to church. Even if some church doors ARE open, it is doubtful but that a few of the faithful will attend; the unbelieving, because of the pandemic will most likely stay home as ordered. Now it is up to you (as it really always has been) to share either from across the yard, over the phone, through an email or by a text message – the importance of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and that what He did, He did for your neighbor too (good or bad); now is the time to let your light shine in the darkness. Perhaps you could start by asking them this simple question:
“What does Easter mean to you?” After giving them time to respond, you might tell them that it made peace with God possible for you and then ask them, “Do you know the things that have been done on your behalf to make peace between you and God?”
You could then tell them what Isaiah the prophet said of Jesus over seven hundred years before Jesus did those things:
“The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away. I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. “For the Lord God will help Me; therefore, I will not be disgraced; therefore, I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.” [Isa. 50:4-7]
Plucked beard, beaten back, spit covered face…this is only part of the price that was paid for your peace with God. Jesus Christ, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, weeping as He went, was coming there to die on an instrument of torture…for you. He wept not at the apparent futility of His sacrifice nor in fear of His imminent suffering and death. His tears fell with understanding – He knew what His people (the Israelites) would have to suffer in the future because of their present rejection of His gracious sacrifice (see Luke 19:43-44); likewise, He knows what you will have to suffer for your rejection as well.
Amid the noise of the crowd upon the celebration of the Passover, one Man riding on the foal of a donkey entered into Jerusalem with tears in His eyes – His face was set like flint; His destination: the cross of Golgotha there to fulfill His Father’s will in making peace possible to all who will allow Him to apply His blood to their lives. This is the passion of the Christ – He loved His Father so much as to die at His command for us:
“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” (John 4:34)
“…He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5–6)
Point them to Him “… who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
It was God’s plan and will that His Son should come and die in our place and for our sins to make redemption from God and peace with God possible for ALL who would believe in Jesus Christ.
Ask them, “Now that you know the things that made for your peace………will you receive it?”
As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, tears streaming down His cheek He considered both the first Passover as well as the reason He was there that day. I believe that He remembered “the things that made for the peoples peace” when they were in bondage in Egypt – two things then made for their peace:
…God’s hand and sanctified blood
“Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying…” (Exodus 12:1)
“‘… I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:12–13)
As Jesus rode in to the city of Jerusalem, the place where God said he would place His name (2 Kings 21:4), and the place, which after having been renewed one day in a distant future, God will dwell with men face to face (Rev.21:2); He wept because He saw that just as the people had seemed to have forgotten what God had done to deliver them on the actual day of Passover they also did not recognize the things which God was doing in the moment of Christ’s “triumphal entrance” into the city to make peace with God possible for them.
You see, just as in the first Passover, two things were about to work together again for the peace of God’s chosen people:
…God’s hand and sanctified blood.
When we talk about God’s hand we should understand that we’re speaking of God’s strength – He delivered Israel from Egypt by His strong and mighty arm:
“Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.” (Exodus 6:6)
He brought the plagues upon Egypt and later in His continuing act of deliverance toward His people He would part the waters of the sea and enable the people to cross the sea bottom as if on dry land.
So, let me ask you something…was there power in the blood of the Passover lamb?
“No.” No there was no power in the blood of the Passover lamb; it’s blood, painted on the lintel and posts of the door (Ex. 12:22) was symbolic of the obedience of those who put it there according to God’s command. There was no power to save in that blood but when God saw the blood, recognizing and honoring both the peoples obedience and His own promise, He spared them from the destroyer (see Exodus 12:23) covering their door Himself. The lamb’s blood was sanctified by God but the power to save was His alone…
…in Jesus Christ both God’s hand and sanctified blood are present.
Jesus is the power of God – today He not only sits at God’s right hand but is in fact God’s right hand man – He is the strength of God and unlike the blood of the Passover lamb Jesus’ blood has power – power to do more than cover one’s sins it cleanses us from sin (1 John 1:7) and removes sins penalty (Ephesians 1:7), power to give one a right standing before God, power to deliver one from death…Jesus’ blood has power. Here’s the thing, the Bible states that “… according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22). In order for the power of Jesus’ blood to be effective in our lives to grant us forgiveness and bring us to peace it had to be shed.
Jesus wept not only because He was about to give His life for the peace and deliverance of his people and they neither knew it nor cared; He also wept because He knew the price that all who reject Him will pay.
It was by God’s hand and sanctified blood that His grace and forgiveness is ours today. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…” (Ephesians 2:8), praise Him for “His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)
“Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 19:41–42)
Amid the shouts of glad hosanna’s and the celebrations of those who had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to keep the Passover there rode into the city a Man on the foal of a donkey. The Man wore no crown and carried no scepter; He did not wave at the crowd as one might do in a parade; even so the people laid palm branches and robes (John 12:13; Luke 19:36) in the path of the animal upon which He rode to honor Him…
…this man was Jesus.
As he rode, the Bible tells us that the whole multitude of them who were following Him shouted “hosanna to the Son of David” and “blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” The things they were saying and the praise they were lifting up were due to the things which they had seen this man do, for in their sight He had most recently raised the dead man Lazarus back to life with a word (John 11:43). In the weeks and months which had led up to that moment, they had seen Him heal the sick and cast out demons; they saw Him feed huge multitudes of people – thousands of men, women and children – with supplies that appeared to be not nearly enough at first. They heard Him teach, they saw Him live, they believed that He was the Son of God and they believed that He was to be their conquering king; the One who would set them free from the captivity of Rome; thus they celebrated the Man on the donkey making a Passover pilgrimage into a parade.
But the Man on the donkey did not celebrate; He did not ride with His hands clenched together over His head as if to say “look, I’m the champion, the winner, the King!” As Jesus rode into Jerusalem at the beginning of the celebration of the most important holy day in Israel – the Passover; He remembered the things which had made for the peoples peace as they struggled under the heavy hand of bondage in Egypt…He was there.
I wonder….did they remember?
Truly they couldn’t possibly have remembered, they were not there; and as is so often the case, with every subsequent generation more and more was lost of the significance of that Holy day until it became nothing more than a day of coming together and partying. Sure the rules of keeping the Passover were observed, no work on that day, the ritual slaying of a year old lamb and the consumption of that meat with bitter herbs and unleavened bread; there was the religious ritual but it was, I expect, not the holy convocation that God intended for it to be since the only one weeping that day was the Man on the donkey colt…
…the man Jesus Christ.
On that occasion, Jesus was coming to establish a different kind of Passover, one for which He was the sacrificial Lamb whose blood was to be shed for the forgiveness of sins not just of the Israelites, though it seems clear that if they had believed in Him at that moment none of us would ever have tasted of His grace (see Romans 11:25), but for you and I as well.
As we come to the week of His passion – the week when He suffered humiliation and death for our sake it would be good to reflect during the next several days over the purpose of His coming and the price He paid for our salvation and worship Him for His sacrifice.
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