Good Friday holds a deep meaning in the life of a Christian. It is a passover from death to life. This came through Jesus’ death on the cross. But how could this event have such a huge impact on the lives of Christians?

Let’s go back in time few thousand years. In the book of Exodus, God helped the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt by inflicting ten plagues. The tenth and worst of the plagues was the death of the Egyptian firstborns. The Israelites were instructed to kill a unblemished lamb or a goat and mark the doorposts with its blood. Upon seeing this, the angel of death knew to pass over the firstborn in these homes.

Jesus was crucified the very same day that the Passover lambs were being killed in the Temple. It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was the Passover). (John 19:31, NLT,*)

Lambs are in an important role in the Old Testament sacrificial system. The offering of a lamb symbolically atoned for the sins of the people so that they could commune with God. Jesus’ sacrifice does the same for us. Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament sacrificial system. He became the once-for-all offering for our sins.

Jesus is called the lamb of God because he was the perfect sacrifice offered to God for our sins. Jesus gave his unblemished life for sinful mankind. He assumed full responsibility for our sins and took the death the we deserved. Hence Good Friday is the passover from death to life for all who believe in Jesus.

Your 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. (1 Peter 1:18-21, MSG, emphasis added,*)

Because of this sacrificed Messiah, Jesus Christ, we have a future in God. Because of the lamb of God we can approach God freely. Because Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we can pass over from death to life.

Worthy is the lamb indeed.

 

Gracious God,
Thank you for creating and implementing
such an amazing salvation plan.
Thank you for sacrificing your only Son for our sake.
Enable us to live always with a deep consciousness of you.
Be praised forever and ever!
In Jesus’ precious name,
Amen

Q4U: What are you thoughts on Good Friday?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you live with a deep consciousness of God!

* [As you might have noticed, I enjoy reading the Bible in different translations and love comparing them. I have started linking the Bible verses to Biblegateway.com so you can easily read (and compare) them in the different versions I’ve used while preparing each post.]

Image courtesy of Meliza Celeridad, design Mari-Anna Stålnacke. Linking up today with Faith-filled Fridays, and Faith Jam.