Yesterday I was reading in Matthew about the trial of Jesus. When Pontius Pilat asked the people what they would have him do with Jesus they said, “Crucify him. Crucify him.” After that they all chanted, “Let his blood be on us and all of our children.” Now they meant that to mean, “let the responsibility of his death be on them and the generations to follow.” I believe that would also mean that if it were found that Jesus was truly innocent they were still willing to take the blame and suffer the consequences.
But, God, in his infinite sovereignty, omnipotence, creativity, and mercy, took those very words and turned them into a blessing for all generations. The people shed Jesus’ blood that day, but God received it as an offering to cover the people’s guilt. Jesus’ blood is now on the people but not as a curse, instead as a blessing!
God foreshadowed this event long before that day. Before they left Egypt, God told the Israelites, to kill a sacrificial lamb and use its blood to paint on the door mantle of their homes. This was to protect them from the curse of death that would sweep through Egypt. The blood saved them from death.
On the day when Jesus was crucified, God took what was meant for evil, and used it for the salvation of all who would feel the call to choose to put their faith and trust in Jesus. God the Father took the blood of the God the son, Jesus, and let it be on the people to save them rather than condemn them.
A great explanation of this is found in the First letter of Peter in the New Testament. I leave it here as expressed in The Message translation
1 Peter 1 (The Message)
A New Life
3-5What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole.
6-7I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.
8-9You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don't see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you'll get what you're looking forward to: total salvation.
10-12The prophets who told us this was coming asked a lot of questions about this gift of life God was preparing. The Messiah's Spirit let them in on some of it—that the Messiah would experience suffering, followed by glory. They clamored to know who and when. All they were told was that they were serving you, you who by orders from heaven have now heard for yourselves—through the Holy Spirit—the Message of those prophecies fulfilled. Do you realize how fortunate you are? Angels would have given anything to be in on this!
A Future in God
13-16So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives. Don't lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn't know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, "I am holy; you be holy."
17You call out to God for help and he helps—he's a good Father that way. But don't forget, he's also a responsible Father, and won't let you get by with sloppy living.
18-21Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It's because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.
22-25Now that you've cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God's living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That's why the prophet said,
The old life is a grass life,
its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers;
Grass dries up, flowers droop,
God's Word goes on and on forever.
This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.
Got Jesus?
REG
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