Growing up in a Christian church I heard about Jesus “taking away my sin” plenty of times. It’s central to Christianity. But when you hear something a lot, sometimes it doesn’t really mean anything.
That was true for me. I understood Jesus taking my sin upon Himself, and dying for it, on a very surface level. It sounds great, right? Sure.
But one day, probably while reading about some horrible story in the news, I started to think about what it really meant for Jesus.
He took my sin. He took your sin. He took everyone’s sin. Everyone who ever lived or ever will live. All the bad, despicable, horrific, disgusting, shameful, mean, selfish, greedy, sadistic, evil things we did and will do. That’s a lot.
What did He do with those things? Like today’s verse says, He made them His own. He had to. In order to die in my place, paying the price for my sins, He had to make them His sins. That means He felt the guilt and the shame and the regret. He knew those sins intimately, as if He had committed them. He saw children being abused, as if He’d done the abusing. He felt weapons being discharged, as if He had pulled the trigger. He saw hearts He’d broken and lives He’d ruined. He felt the horror of it all. While He died, hanging from a piece of wood with nails pounded through His hands and feet.
No wonder He asked God to find another way the night before.
Dear God,
Thank you so much for going through with it. What an amazing gift of righteousness you have offered. I accept with immense gratitude. Teach me how to live free from my sin and shame. Show me how and when to share this Good News of your salvation with those in my life who need to hear it.
CamDevo 