Making Time for God

70. Sacrificial Love

It's me again God,

I don't think that any Friday in past weeks could have been called a good Friday but here we are on the day our calendar marks as Good Friday. It's super quiet in these early hours as I prepare to go back to that day when Your Son gave His life, so many could be saved.

We can read of all sorts of sacrifices that are being made by people at this time of worldwide Coronavirus. I particularly think of our health workers who are giving up the safety of being home with their families, so they can care for those who have developed serious life threatening symptoms.

In a sense, we were all in a serious condition before Jesus came here from heaven. However, rather than a virus being the problem, it was sin that had changed everything. The virus is currently spreading, separating family members from each other and similarly, sin was very widespread, keeping us separated from You our Heavenly Father.

No matter how people strived to live a good life while they lived, it was always marred by sin.

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God You are more than good —You are perfect and that meant that none of us would have been worthy of spending Eternity with You BUT You loved us and sent Jesus as part of the most amazing rescue mission ever!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
‭‭John‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Saving the world took such incredible sacrifice and I could gloss over the details but it's important to go back today and remember what Jesus did for me.

After being arrested, Your Son was brought before the high priest and then Pilate the Roman governor who couldn't find any good reason to have Him put to death even though the crowd insisted!

"It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus."
‭‭John‬ ‭19:14-16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There was no going back now and although Jesus had asked You the night before to take the cup of suffering from Him, He was committed to carrying out the plan to save the world!

"The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him."
‭‭Mark‬ ‭15:16-20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What a shocking thing to read but sadly, many still mock Your Son and show the greatest disrespect that they can!

"Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS."
‭‭John‬ ‭19:17-19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The insults and mockery continued from the crowd:

"come down from the cross and save yourself!" In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him."
‭‭Mark‬ ‭15:30-32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Indeed at any time, Jesus could have decided not to go through with the plan, but love and obedience to Your will meant He would endure the pain and die so we could all live!

Among the crowd, was the one who gave birth to Your Son. How heart wrenching for Mary to have to see this innocent son of hers, crucified alongside of criminals!

"Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, "Woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home."
‭‭John‬ ‭19:25-27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

These hours of physical torture and suffering must have seemed like they would never end! Unusual darkness had come over the land as the moment of death drew near:

"At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" ). When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah." Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!""
‭‭Mark‬ ‭15:33-39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As painful as it was to be crucified, Jesus also carried the weight of the world's sin —past, present and future! At this moment, indeed You could not look on Your Son because it was as if He had become the most sinful man the world had ever seen! Just as the Passover lamb was sacrificed and blood spilt to keep the family safe, Jesus became the lamb of God who took away the sin of the world so we would be safe for all Eternity! The curtain being torn in two from top to bottom indicated that Jesus' mission was indeed finished as a way had been opened for us to come directly to You Father!

"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."
‭‭1 John‬ ‭2:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is why today is Good Friday! While I am so sorry for all my sins that Jesus needed to carry, I am so thankful because now You look at me as completely clean and sinless! I am free from condemnation!

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:1-2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How can I thank You enough Jesus? Just as we would rejoice if there was suddenly a vaccine so people would be saved from the Coronavirus, You made a way for all the world to be saved from their sin!

"Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed."
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53:4-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Thank You for Your great sacrificial love! I pray that many will be able to worship You today as they look online for church services. May many more people come to know the wonderful peace and healing You bring!

Amen.