“But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.” – 2 Corinthians 3: 15-16
This week, Holy Week is known across the world as the days leading up to Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection. Over the course of these next few days countless sermons, articles, social media posts, and the like will be written and orated about those few chapters we have in the scriptures that give us insight into His Passion. Yet, for all that we write, preach, and publish about Christ we can never totally articulate what he has done for us.
Before Jesus, that any man could live, walk, and communion in fellowship with God through the Holy Spirit, was not possible. The Old Testament tells of the time when Moses came down from the mountain and the glory of God shone so bright on his face that the people could not even look at him. Moses had to cover his face with a veil. There was glory in the Jewish law, there was glory in the sacrifices, but continuing thereby only resulted in a temporary solution to a permanent problem. It continued to embolden the fact that there was indeed separation between God and man. There was sacrifice, there was devotion, but there was a lack of intimacy; and God wanted far more for his creation than to have a long-distance relationship with them. When Christ went to the cross the veil was done away with. He was the instrument of reconciliation between God and man. He gave us free access to the Father, a personal relationship with God; something that would have been inconceivable before Christ came. It’s not that God didn't want us before then. No, he made man perfect, we sinned, and God went about bringing us back to that perfect state (spiritually) ever since. This plan of salvation and reconciliation was built upon the cornerstone; Jesus, our Savior, our Emmanuel (God with us). A personal plan, for personal salvation, requires a personal commitment. The Bible never suggests that Christ is an all-expense paid trip to sin and sin again. Jesus wants you to take up your cross and follow him.
When Christ went to the cross, he was the only one that could. We needed a Savior, a mediator, deliverer, sanctifier, and justifier. He freely laid down His life, for you and me. We were the guilty party standing accused before a holy judgment, and we took our punishment. The “just for the unjust.” If we desire the indwelling Spirit of the Lord, we must repent, turn to the Lord, lay down everything we are, and in faith believing in Jesus Christ. Then ask the Holy Spirit to come in, yielding your life over to Christ. In this we have peace with God, the “enmity” is gone, and the reconciliation is a reality in your life. A new birth, and beautiful relationship begins. For this we can thank Jesus, and thank him this week, every week, every day.
