Jump Start # 484

1 John 2:2 “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also those of the whole world.”

  Today is known as “Black Friday,” the biggest shopping day of the year. Some were at the stores very early this morning while the rest of us stayed in bed. It is the time for bargains and deals that cannot be found the rest of the year. I’m not sure if I’d get out of bed at three in the morning to go to a store even if the price was free. There was a time when I would, but not any more.

  There is another black Friday that is much more important to me. It has nothing to do with stores, shopping or presents. It’s about Jesus. Jesus was resurrected on a Sunday morning. The Gospels are specific about that. He spent three days in the tomb. That calculating has been hard for some to figure out. They feel that three days means three full or complete days. Jesus was in the tomb on Sunday, not much, but He was in the tomb on Sunday. He was in the tomb all day on Saturday. That’s two days. He was crucified and buried on Friday. He wasn’t in the grave all day, but He was in the grave on Friday. Friday– Saturday-Sunday. Three days. I rented a car awhile back. It was in the late evening when I picked the car up. It was on a Thursday. I returned the car early on Saturday morning. Guess how many days I was charged? Three. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

  Jesus was buried on Friday, black Friday. It was on that day that the sky grew dark. The earth shook. Some of the graves were opened and the dead were raised. It was a most unusual day. It was the day that God turned His back on Jesus. It was the day that the price was paid for our sins. The real black Friday is about Jesus.

  Our passage reminds us that Jesus’ death was the propitiation of our sins. That’s a fancy word that isn’t used much. It means “satisfaction.” It meant the debt was paid. It meant God was satisfied. Nothing more was required. Nothing more was needed. The death of Jesus was completely what we needed.

  In Hebrews we are told that the blood of bulls and goats wasn’t enough. That’s what ancient Israel had under the O.T. system. Every year, another lamb. Every year, do it again. It was never enough where God would say, “enough, no more.” Animal blood just wasn’t enough. But the blood of the perfect Jesus was different. It was enough. He doesn’t need to come again and do it again. It was enough.

  We sing an old hymn that says, “There’s power in the blood…power in the blood.” And it’s true. There is power in His blood. Power to cleanse not some of us, but all of us, of all time. The worst among us, and those that don’t seem so bad. We all need that blood. We all need to be cleansed. There are few things, if any, that works for all generations. How my grandma washed clothes doesn’t work in this generation. How folks got their news back in the Roman days doesn’t work today. We build buildings differently. We cook food differently. We talk differently. We do just about everything differently, except one thing. We all still need that blood of Jesus to be right with God. That blood still works. It works just as well today as it did for the jailer who heard Paul preach. It works just as well today as it did along ago in Europe. It still works. Amazing!

  I doubt the stuff bought on this black Friday will still be working in ten years, but the blood of Jesus will be. We are so different than people in third world countries. We are so different than people in the fifth century. Yet that same blood of Jesus worked on them as it does on us. That’s amazing!

  Be thankful for that first black Friday long ago. It truly changed the world and it can change your family destiny.

  Another old hymn asks, “Are you washed in the blood?” Great question. What’s your answer?

Roger