Atonement

Atonement: To cover over someone’s death.

John chapter 19 begins with the heart-wrenching reality that we all know well: Jesus was innocent, and yet He was mocked, beaten, and sentenced to the cross. If you haven’t read John 19 today, I encourage you to take some time to reflect on it. This morning, as I was reading it, I sat with how from verses 1–10, Jesus is silent. He speaks again in verse 11, then to address Mary and the disciples in verses 26 and 27, and finally in verse 30 when He says, “It is finished.”

As I finished the chapter, I wondered what was going through Jesus’ mind. Sometimes we forget how very human He was—how much pain He could have been feeling in those moments. This is the thought I think He clung to today: “I am covering the deaths of my children.”

In traditional Jewish culture, the sacrifice of animals was often performed to atone for sin. Atonement means to cover over someone’s death—and in Scripture, we learn that sin leads to death (James 1:14–15). Jesus dying on the cross for you and me was out of love, and because of His great love, He took on our sin—our own death—upon Himself.

As we continue our day on Good Friday, I challenge you to not only reflect on what Jesus did on the cross, but to sit with the fact that it was His sacrifice that saved you from an eternal death. He had you in mind from the beginning—even when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26, when His soul was overwhelmed and He was deeply distressed. How very different our lives would look if it weren’t for what He did for us.

Friend, this message is also for you who may be struggling in this season of your walk. Maybe you’re still fighting temptations that don’t seem to cease (read 1 Corinthians 10). Maybe you haven’t forgiven yourself for your past, so how could you possibly accept how Jesus atoned for you? Maybe you’re hurt and burdened by the weight of what’s happening in the world and don’t understand why it’s happening—so why trust in this God? Maybe anxiety, depression, and uncertainty are taking over your life, and you can’t seem to find peace or see the light.

Whatever it is, this atonement was done for YOU.

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Romans 5:8

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Ephesians 5:2

“Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Jesus loves you friend, and He is ready to welcome you with arms wide open.