Something I Thought Of Yesterday

I don't really know why this particular thought came to me yesterday; I was helping Daniel pound posts into the ground (really, I was moral support, since my wrists couldn't handle pounding the poles in - I tried, and the familiar twang shocked through them. Bad idea for someone who needs their wrists to be working toward a Teacher's degree in piano...), and thinking about God, as I sometimes do.

It probably came about because I've been reading through "Suffering and the Sovereignty of God" by John Piper, and one of the authors in the book mentioned this passage talking about innocent blood being avenged:

Joel 3:19 “Egypt shall become a desolation and Edom a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the people of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land."

Basically what the author was saying was that all innocent blood must be avenged. Verses 20-21 speak about God not leaving any shed blood unavenged.

So what came to mind was this. Jesus Christ, in dying upon the cross, took the punishment for His own shed blood. The injustice of His death was laid upon His own shoulders!

Think about it. We put Him on the cross, by our sin. The crime is ours. But the punishment for the crime He took upon Himself, as though He had killed Himself!

If Jesus died for every single sin but the act of His dying on the cross, we'd all still be going to hell. There would still be that one single sin not paid for, and it would be enough - vastly so - to condemn us.

So I think when Jesus said "Father, do not hold this sin against them..." He was in effect taking the blame. Jesus took the blame for you, for me...He so loved us, and was so gracious, that He came to die, and not only to die but to be punished for His death.

Innocent blood that is shed has to be avenged. The debt for Christ's shed blood was paid by Christ's shed blood.

By His death, we are forgiven for putting Him on the cross where He died.

Conundrum, anybody?