Friday; January 26

Over the last several years, the trend as been that whenever there is a documentary or movie about the death of Jesus, there is typically a segment that includes a description of the horrific nature of crucifixion.  While I understand the draw of this type of historical perspective and the value in reminding mankind of the hurt we caused the Son of God, it is important to understand that the shame in all of this is not merely the gruesome and painful nature of the crucifixion, rather it is that it actually had to occur in the first place!  Beyond that, the value of the insight gained from reviewing the death of Jesus isn’t determined by understanding the quantity of blood that was shed, rather it is found in appreciating the quality of the blood that was shed.  The revelation that must be discovered is not that a man died because His society was evil, rather it is that the Son of Man died because we sinned.  When Peter, who experienced the impact of the crucifixion firsthand, wrote about the nature of the death of he observed, “… knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” (I Peter 1:18-19)
There is value in being able to explain what happened to Jesus on the cross, but the more important aspect of His death is being able to apply it to our lives.  Have we experienced the personal impact of His death, burial and resurrection?  Are we continually praising Him for the sacrifice He was willing to make for our failure?  Whatever your plans are for this weekend – they probably should include some time to worship and honor the One who was willing to die so that we might live.
Think about it! 

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