Jesus took my place

I know Good Friday isn’t for a few days, but I decided to write something today.  I recently had the thought that someone wants to find out exactly what the holiday called Good Friday is all about.  If that’s you, stick with me.

We have to start at the beginning.  The Bible declares that we have a fundamental, inbred problem: sin.  Just a quick look at the 10 commandments shows us this is undeniable.  We worship gods other than the One True God.  We lie.  We steal.  We commit adultery (in our hearts at the very least; check out Matthew 5:27-29).  Romans 3:23 sums it up: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Furthermore, sin has a very high price tag attached to it.  In Romans 6 we read, “For the wages of sin is death.”  The Bible also declares, “The soul that sins shall die.”

But on Good Friday, over 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ, the unique, holy, perfect God-man, died a torturous death on a cross.  The One who knew no sin paid the penalty of your sin and mine.  He chose to take our place.  A song from the Oak Ridge Boys puts it this way: “I was guilty with nothing to say, and they were coming to take me away.  When a voice from Heaven was heard that said, ‘Let him go.  Take me instead.’  Oh, I should been crucified, and I should have suffered and died…but Jesus, God’s Son, took my place.”

Let me attempt to illustrate this.  I have been a fan of the TV show “The Flash” since its premiere in 2014.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every season; the show seems to just get better and better.  But there is a special place in my heart for a particular story in season 3.  In an attempt to stop the formidable villain, Savitar, Barry Allen, A.K.A. “The Flash” was inadvertently propelled several months into the future.  He witnessed a horrific moment: he saw Iris, the love of his life, murdered by Savitar.  He returned to his time desperate to do whatever he could to prevent that tragic development from occurring.  But could he save her?  Was it inevitable that he was going to lose her?  That’s the main story arc for multiple episodes in that epic third season.

When the ominous day finally dawned, there was an amazing development that no one – including Savitar – saw coming.  A friend of Barry’s (or a member of “Team Flash” as they like to dub the group) had orchestrated an ingenious plan.  I don’t want to reveal the details of this plan, or the character’s name, just in case you’ve never seen these episodes.  But it is sufficient to say that, in the end, this person saved Iris’ life.  But the price for doing so was a high one: this character died.  This noble person chose to die so that Iris could live.  This person took Iris’ place.  This time, Barry Allen – The Flash – wasn’t the hero; it was this member from “Team Flash” who performed a noble, heroic, and Christ-like act.

Kevin