…knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. — 1 Peter 1:18-19

GOOD FRIDAY

Good Friday only serves to demonstrate to us how futile OUR WAYS truly are.

‘Our ways’ are murderous ways. ‘Our ways’ are rebellious ways. ‘Our ways’ mock and taunt God. ‘Our ways’ would try and silence God. This is our inheritance from Adam and Eve’s first sin. In fact, the whole essence of sin is trying to do things ‘our way’.

The funny thing about Good Friday, if there is anything funny about Good Friday, is that God did allow us to do things ‘our way’. He allowed Jesus to be the victim of gross injustice; He allowed Jesus to be beaten, mocked, and ridiculed; He allowed Jesus to become a public spectacle of humiliation as He was nailed to a cross; He allowed Jesus to be forsaken of God; and He even allowed Jesus to die. That’s how WE do things.

Yet God knows we are held captive by the sin and selfishness that we have inherited. God knows that ‘our ways’ are ways of hatred, greed, lust, violence, and ultimately death. God knows we cannot free ourselves from these evil ways. Therefore He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to absorb our worst so that we could be set free from sin’s bondage.

Jesus did exactly that when He died on the cross. He paid the ultimate ransom price of His blood to set us free from ourselves. His precious blood broke the chains of sin, death, and the devil that held us tight. He has set us free from ‘our ways’ and once again opened up the door back to Yahweh.

Through His blood He has taken away our sin-for He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Because His blood covers us, God passes over our sin and spares our lives. Because His blood covers us, we now wear a robe of Christ’s righteousness. Because His blood covers our sin, we can call God “Abba, Father”.

When we tried to do our worst to God, He did what was best for us through Jesus Christ the sinless, spotless Lamb of God who purchased and redeemed us through the shedding of His precious blood.

Your soul in griefs unbounded,
Your head with thorns surrounded,
You died to ransom me.
The cross for me enduring,
The crown for me securing,
You healed my wounds and set me free.

Amen.