Buried
Have you ever buried something in your life and then dug it back up again? Even worse…have you dug up something in another’s life…something that they’d buried? Isn’t it typical that we ask God to forgive us, and then we go right back to that forgiven sin as if we have every right to take a shovel to it? Are we so blind? Not only do we not have that right, but the whole process is completely delusional. Once we’ve been forgiven, our sins have not only been buried, they’ve disappeared. Yes, there are still memories, but that’s all they are, memories.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21
Christ became sin. That’s right, during the process of His death,
He became sin. It’s something that we hear and read,
but can we really wrap our minds around it?
Though He knew no sin, therefore He knew no guilt,
every sin ever committed and ever to be committed
was placed on Him until He became it.
I’ve often wondered…what did He look like? What was He seeing? Feeling inside? What was He thinking?
It says in Mark 15, verses 25 to 34 that He hung there from 9am until 3pm. He hung there slowly dying for 6 hours. That’s 21,600 seconds of sin being put on Him one by one. I wonder how many sins per second were falling on Him. I’ve seen emptiness in a person who has nothing but sin in their life. Is that what Jesus looked like? Not only was He mangled beyond recognition, but was He empty? He was complete perfection from birth until that point. He went from perfection to that in a matter of hours. Then He was buried.
So if all of our sin was put on Him and then He was buried, what happened to it all? Was it dug back up? No! When the stone was rolled away, there was nothing but perfection there. A complete investigation was conducted and no sin was found. Wow…from perfection, to sin, to perfection again? Where did it go?
We’ll never be able to understand this amazing miracle, but then again that is the nature of miracles. Though on Friday He was becoming my sin, and on Sunday He rose from the dead and now lives again as my Savior, praise God that on Saturday, He was burying my guilt and shame for good. I can try to dig it back up, and I might think that I have, but it’s only an illusion, I can dig for eternity, but all I’m going to find is a perfectly risen Lord on the other end of that shovel. It’s no use trying to dig up mine, and it’s no use trying to dig up anyone else’s.
Every day this week, I’ve struggled to get out of my house and get my shopping done. My struggle can be traced to some very guilty sources, my kids. Their behavior this week has been atrocious! I’ve basically been chained to my house because of it. So, guess what! There’s been no shopping for treats, knick knacks and goodies to put in their Easter baskets. I was so fed up by the end of the week that I was ready to tell them there won’t be any colored eggs or baskets for them this year. I mean it was their own fault right? Besides, they’re all old enough to know that there’s no Easter bunny, anyway. But then God reminded me that He buried their sins. Yet, I keep reminding them of everything they did this week, and regardless of how sorry they are, they still have to face the consequences. (Sigh) It wasn’t working. I kept digging and digging, but all I was finding was Jesus. I guess I better give up.
Well here I am, and I don’t know about you, but my Saturday entails last minute shopping and egg coloring with my kids. You can bet that they’ll also be hearing a story. It’s a story that begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Friday, Saturday and then Resurrection Day. Emphases will be on Saturday, the day that sin was completely buried, and on the day after, the day that sin was unable to be dug up.
Praise God that not only was our sin buried, but it was never able to be dug up again. It’s disappeared and all that’s left are memories seen in His scars.
Living He loved me, dying He saved me
And buried He carried my sins far away
Rising He justified freely forever
One day He's coming, oh, glorious day, oh, glorious day!
(from the song, Glorious Day, by Casting Crowns)
Amie Spruiell
4/6/12
Here is a link from You Tube of "Glorious Day"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ipf0GZb6HHQ
Very good writing, Amie. I read it all. The part about not being able to dig up your mistakes just to look them over again and regret again. You are a fine writer, as well as a talented actress.
ReplyDeleteBest Easter to your family.
Allison (Kel and Charlie's mom)
love that song! Thanks for your devotional.
ReplyDelete