FORGIVEN, HEALED, REDEEMED

365 Days of Thanksliving — Day 124

Good Friday. I’ll be honest—sometimes it is hard for me to think of Jesus’ suffering and execution as being "good." Yet, it was. Not for Him, perhaps, but for every person who puts their hope, faith, and trust in Him. For us, Good Friday was a beautiful day, because on that day, we were forgiven, healed, and redeemed.

I can’t think of anything better to be thankful for today than Christ, who died to forgive us, to heal us, and to mark our souls "Paid in Full."

FORGIVEN

Jesus commands us to forgive others because He first forgave us. His forgiveness is complete and whole; it isn't missing a thing. God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, said that He forgets our sins as though they never existed

Think about that for a second. God’s own words tell us:

"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more."

Did you catch that? For God’s own sake, He forgets our sins. It’s as though He doesn't even want to remember them. For us as humans, it can be so difficult to reach a place where we move beyond forgiving to actually forgetting. But that is exactly what Jesus did for us on the cross. It blows me away.

I often think about the weight of our sins. Imagine if every sin ever committed was a single molecule of water. All those molecules combined would surely hold more volume than all the oceans in the world. Our sins surrounded Him and were taken into Him, causing Him to be pulled down and crushed by the weight. Yet, He didn’t resist. He gladly bore it all on our behalf.

How excruciating. How loving. How amazing.

HEALED

Have you ever considered Christ’s suffering as a gateway to our healing? Isaiah 53 says:

“Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains... But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.” — Isaiah 53:4–5

There are so many layers to this. There is physical healing, yes, but also emotional and spiritual healing.

A decade ago, my spirit and soul felt crushed after everything that happened at St. Paul’s Maumee. I knew God didn’t cause that pain, but emotionally, I couldn't understand why He allowed it. I understood the "Sunday School" answers intellectually, but most of us don't live in our intellect—we live in our emotions.

In all the ways I felt crushed, I realized that Jesus was crushed for my crushing. His taking on my pain opened the door for me to be healed from that emotional and spiritual scourging. I get it now: on the cross, Jesus heals us from the wounds inflicted on us by others, and even the ones we inflict on ourselves.

REDEEMED

The term “REDEEMED” speaks to a financial transaction. Paul wrote to Titus about this reality, noting that Jesus “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness.”

Think about the last thing you "redeemed." My wife and I sometimes shop at Menards (I call it “Mainards,” lol). I love to shop there when they have their "11% off everything" sale—but you only get the deal if you mail in your receipt with a redemption slip. You make the purchase, you send in the paperwork, and eventually, you receive that voucher to use for something else.

On the cross, Jesus performed the ultimate redemption. For a time, we were all on a shelf in the enemy's warehouse. But on that Friday, Jesus stepped up and paid for us. The currency wasn't a paper slip; it was His life and His blood. Because of Him, you and I are marked: PAID IN FULL.

Jesus did all of this in one single day in history. Some 2,000 years ago, Jesus endured hours of barbaric punishment. He was beaten, mocked, and scourged. He took into Himself the sins of the world: every cuss word, every hateful thought, every act of cruelty, greed, and selfishness. If we’ve done it, He took it.

Even as He was suffering, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He was speaking of those who crucified Him that day, but in a way, He was speaking of us, too.

Father, I thank you today for Jesus. Thank you for the One who took onto Himself every transgression and wrong I have ever committed. Forgive me, Lord, for although I know now what I do, I am still prone to wander. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for Christ.