Holy Week - Follow the Final Steps of JesusSample

One final lamb finally covered sin...

Friday:

Good Friday is marred by brutal mobs, a heavy cross, and so much blood. The death of Jesus is a hard day. We remember today to quiet our hearts, to think about the thorns in his forehead, the gashes down his back, the nails through his hands and feet, the humiliation, betrayal, and heartbreak. We remember the tears from Mary, his mother, and the other women at the foot of the cross. We savor his words - “Father forgive them.” “Today you will be with me in paradise.” “It is finished.”

While we quiet our hearts, let’s also zoom out from Calvary. Let’s see the cross from a bird’s eye view and the storyline started long ago. If we look back to the Old Testament, we find the familiar blood, the stench of death and fire lifted before the Lord. The sacrifice of an innocent lamb, repeated over and over, countless lambs to cover countless sins.

The priests were tasked with killing an innocent animal, separating the meat, and burning the sacrifice. It was a brutal process, made to be messy and sobering. The sacrificial system was meant to remind the Israelites that their sin had a cost.

The cross is our reminder that our sin is weighty. The penalty was steep. The price for our punishment was paid in blood, sorrow, and suffering. But the cross doesn’t just stretch back to the Old Testament, it goes even farther than that. Before “let there be light” left God’s lips, before mountains and waters, animals, and man, before the foundation of the world, God ordained a savior for his creation in Jesus.

This has always been the plan. It’s why Jesus hung on the cross willingly, a lamb led to the slaughter. Jesus died so that one final lamb might defeat death, rise again, and finally cover sin. As you reflect on Good Friday take a moment to quiet your heart and remember the perfect plan that makes the darkest day so very good.