“INCARNATION”
We’re continuing our week-long journey through the story of scripture and discovering the beautiful reality that God has always wanted to dwell with His people.
But there is another, darker theme that runs throughout the pages of the Bible: Humanity is hellbent towards cheating on God. Scripture calls this sin. Sin is defined as anything that we rank more important than God in our lives.
We have a vast capacity to sin, which leads to a vicious, self-destructive cycle: The pages of the Old Testament often read like the film Groundhog Day: Same story, day after day. It looks a lot like this:
Repeatedly, God set up the perfect system for his people; repeatedly, they ruined everything. (This is why we can’t have nice things).
A NEW HOPE (MATTHEW-JOHN)
As this endless pattern of self-destruction continued, God’s prophets spoke of a new hope. They promised a good King who would govern His people and turn their hearts back to God. He would establish perfect peace and His rule would never end.
The ruler would be called “Immanuel,” translated, “God with us.” (God has always desired to dwell with His people.)
Humanity is hellbent towards cheating on God.
When the time was right, God sent His Son, Jesus, to planet earth. Jesus, still fully God, became fully man (the theological word for this is the Incarnation). God put on skin and bone and walked with His people. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14 ESV).
The Greek word for dwelt is “skenoo.” One translation means “to live in a tabernacle.” What a picture. Yesterday we learned that God lived in a tabernacle when He dwelt with Israel in the wilderness. Now, God has “tabernacled” with His people through Jesus Christ.
THE THREE DAYS THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
Thousands of books (including four in the Bible) have been written about the life of Jesus. But His most important activity happened during one weekend.
On the day now known as Good Friday, Jesus endured betrayal and unimaginable pain when He was killed on a Roman torture instrument called a cross.
I wonder if Jesus experienced the soul level guilt and shame for sin that every human has ever experienced, all at once.
At His crucifixion, Jesus experienced unimaginable physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering. He was abandoned by His friends and beaten so badly that His body and face were unrecognizable. His tortured body, most likely naked, was nailed to a cross meant for a criminal.
The physical pain was paired unimaginable spiritual agony. The sins of every human in history were placed on Jesus. No one fully understands what this means. I wonder if Jesus experienced the soul level guilt and shame for sin that every human has ever experienced, all at once.
Jesus, who created the universe and holds it together by His power, died alone like a common criminal outside a small town in the Middle East on the Friday of Passover.
Because Jesus was carrying our sin, God turned His back on His Son (sin always separates). For the first time in all of eternity, Jesus was disconnected from the intimacy He shared with His Father.
Jesus, who created the universe and holds it together by His power, died alone like a common criminal outside a small town in the Middle East on the Friday of Passover. But He didn’t stay dead.
Three days later, He came back to life, raised from the dead. He defeated sin, death, and Satan, unlocking resurrection power for everyone who believes in Him.
THE ETERNAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THREE DAYS
Good Friday and Easter Sunday happened because God has always wanted to dwell with His people.
Yesterday, we learned that in the Old Testament, God lived with the Israelites. But their connection was limited.
Every time an animal shed their blood, the people were reminded that their sin separated them from God.
The people worshipped God through priests and animal sacrifices. No one could enter the tabernacle (later the temple), where God’s presence lived, except the priests. The animals were killed to cover the sins of the people.
The system reminded everyone of humanity’s condition. God was holy; only priests could go near. Every time an animal shed their blood, the people were reminded that their sin separated them from God.
NEW PRIEST, PERFECT SACRIFICE
Jesus died on the cross as our perfect sacrifice and our new, better priest. As our sacrifice, Hed the punishment for our sin so that we could receive God’s grace. As Paul puts it, For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)
As our priest, He destroyed the separation between God and humans. In the tabernacle, a curtain separated the Most Holy Place, where God’s presence dwelt, from the rest of the tent. (God’s holy presence cannot be with sin).
Because of Jesus, people could dwell with God in a way that had not been possible since the Garden of Eden.
But when Jesus died, something powerful happened. And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. (Mark 15:37-38 ESV)
When Jesus paid for our sins with His death, the separation between God and man was removed. A new day dawned, a new chapter began. Because of Jesus, people could dwell with God in a way that had not been possible since the Garden of Eden (for more on this, see Week 2 – Day 1).
If we surrender our lives to Jesus, His blood pays for our sins. We have access to God through our Great High Priest, Jesus, who became our perfect sacrifice.
WHAT NOW?
If you are a follower of Jesus, this news is cause for celebration. Jesus paid for your sin so you can walk with God forever. Trust that Jesus has made you clean, and boldly draw near to God. (see Hebrews 4:14-16).
God lived in a tabernacle when He dwelt with Israel in the wilderness. Now, God has “tabernacled” with His people through Jesus Christ.
If Jesus is not your Savior and King, today is the day to make that change. Your sin separates you from the God who made you and loves you. But He designed a way for you to draw near.
Trust in Jesus to forgive you of your sins so that you can be made right with God. Confess your sins to Him and receive the forgiveness that He offers through Jesus Christ.
NEXT STEPS
1: Read Hebrews 4:14-16.
2: Spend Spend 10 minutes practicing Solitude, meditating on the passage above. Write down 1 thing that God showed you from this passage. (To learn how to practice Solitude, see Week 1, Day 5 – “Coffee Mugs”)
3: Text one friend one thing that you learned
Tomorrow: Week 2, Day 4 – “New Temple”