Today is the day I tend to dwell on Jesus more so than any other day. Yes, Easter is coming, and yes, I know that’s supposed to be the main event, but today is the day that means the most to me. In my mind, sacrifice is what separates Christianity from all the other religions. There are plenty of others that proclaim the good news of eternal life, but what other says that God suffered and died for us? If you want to get into the really mystical, you could also heap on the idea of God sacrificing His own son for us as well. The fact that He was willing to experience and feel the agony of being human, to experience what we all must face at some point is what makes Christianity unique. Even atheists have been known to appreciate that, in the abstract at least.
In some ways, the reason for doing this pales with the fact that it was done at all. If God had wanted to, He could have simply given us eternal life, no muss, no fuss. Why he didn’t do that is another question… No, He came down here as a human, suffered awful torments, and then died. This is what bought us salvation, this is what set us free. I will spend the rest of my life trying to understand it, but I am humbled that it was done for us.
I’m looking forward to Easter.