Wednesday of Holy Week

Hail to you, our King, obedient to the Father; you were led to your crucifixion like a gentle lamb to the slaughter.  Verse before Gospel

Jesus is the sacrificial offering, the Lamb of God offered up for our sins so that we may live. In the Old Testament, offerings were the prescribed way the Jews would worship God with appropriate reverence. There were various types of offerings to symbolize different things. A sin offering was made to make atonement for their sins. So Jesus became our sin offering for His death on the cross took away our sins once and for all. He was the ultimate sacrifice.

Sacrifice is a word that doesn’t sit so well in today’s context, and yet, when we throw love into the equation, it changes everything. For love we are willing to sacrifice much as Jesus did, who knowingly and peaceably went to His extremely painful death just because He wanted to redeem us. As His disciples, we may not have to prove our love for Him by crucifixion, but we are called to do His will which may require dying to self in numerous ways. 

What is key in all this is obedience to the Father. Jesus always did as His Father desired, which meant He was without sin, loving, and always reaching out to others such that they were never the same - they were invariably better, happier, stronger people.  

Thank you, Lord, for loving us, and for dying for us. Teach us to be obedient as you were, and to be gentle in all our ways as You were.