October 27, 2022
Daily Devotion:
"Freedom from Guilt"
Mark 15:16-39
New International Version
33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, leman Saba chat Hani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah. 36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
While Jesus died a horrible, unfair death for all to see, something unseen and far worse happened. He, the sinless one, experienced the punishment our sin deserved so that we could be forgiven. Our sin made him feel abandoned When he 'took his last breath', the temple curtain tore in two - on its own.
What does this mean? Long before Jesus came, the Jews built a temple. God lived in it, in the Most Holy Place. No one could enter through the curtain, except the high priest once a year. It reminded the people that their sin was serious and separated them from God. As Jesus died. the curtain was supernaturally torn apart! This signified that God tore down the barrier separating us from him through the sacrifice on the cross!
With our sins forgiven, the door is now open for us to live close to God. The freedom from guilt and the close relationship with God is not automatic. We must put our faith in Jesus and the cross.
Then we can receive his blood-bought forgiveness and walk through the open door.
