The Sacrificial Lamb

 1 Peter  3:18
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit,

The observance of the death of Christ is recognized today, Friday, the end of Passion Week. As Christians, we celebrate this special day with thanksgiving that Jesus came to earth to die for our sins, renting the veil of the temple in half, giving us access to God, closing the chasm between man and God.  The week follows the Jewish Passover, which changes from year to year depending on the full moon after the spring equinox. The Passover occurred when the death angel came and killed all the firstborn in Egypt. The Jews were spared this death if their house had the shed blood of the lamb stricken over the door post of their home. The blood, signifying Jesus’ blood that was shed on Friday of Holy Week, covers our sin and the penalty for sin that we owe. He paid the debt that we could not pay. He was the sacrificial lamb who took on the wages of sin for you and me. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is life eternal because He died on the cross and became the substitutionary lamb of God.  It would appear to be a sad day for those who followed Him, grieved that their Messiah was being nailed to a cross between two thieves. But Christ, who willingly gave His life, said, “It is finished.” The songwriter pens, “It is finished, the battle is over, it is finished, there'll be no more war, it is finished, the end of the conflict, it is finished and Jesus is Lord.” The victory has been won. The good news is that Good Friday is God’s gift to us, and Sunday is coming!