Tags
Death of Jesus, Freedom, Grace, Jesus, John 3:17, Judgment, Passover Lamb, Salvation, The cross
Day 31: Tuesday in the Fifth Week of Lent
John 3:17
God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
It’s natural when we think about Jesus saving the world to go straight to the cross. Yes, Jesus died for our sins, but that is not all that Jesus did. He opened blind eyes. He opened hardened hearts. He healed our diseases. He fed the hungry. He calmed the troubled. He restored families. He saved a wedding. He protected a woman caught in adultery. He restored the life of a young girl, a young man, and Lazarus. He protected his disciples on the night he was taken.
The cross is the culmination of all this saving.
There is no fire and brimstone in Jesus. There is truth, but no threats. There are warnings, but no punishment. Judgment happens by default. People divide themselves, whether they want the world Jesus offers or prefer the world of our own making. But everywhere Jesus goes, salvation happens. Lives are healed and restored. The outcast are gathered in. The unclean are made clean. Hope dawns.
When the mob comes for Jesus, we are not surprised that he sacrifices himself to protect others. We are not surprised that he renounces violence. We are not surprised that he endures the spittle and forgives from the cross. There is nothing new here, only the recognition that a lamb has been slaughtered. A new Passover has happened. A new freedom has come.
Gracious and ever-present God,
whose mercy knows no bounds,
and whose arms are ever open to your world:
Call us forth from all that binds
And make us joyful in your service.
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Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Luke_Catholic_Church_(Danville,_Ohio)_-_stained_glass,_Agnus_Dei.JPG Nheyob / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)