IT IS FINISHED!!!

Yesterday was Palm Sunday – a day when prophecies were fulfilled, a day of triumph and rejoicing as Jesus rode into Jerusalem upon a donkey, just as was spoken about hundreds of years before in Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.”  Incredible that such a verse could be written about Jesus – “He is just and having salvation!”  So many prophecies were fulfilled at this time of year but often I forget just how amazing it all is!

This week I learned something that I found so remarkable and I wanted to share it with you.  Hundreds of years ago, right back in the time of the Exodus the Jewish people were instructed to make sacrifices twice every day for the atonement of their sins.  God was very detailed about how the sacrifice was to be done; it was to be two male lambs without blemish and had to be done at a specific appointed time!  (Numbers 28:1-8)  For 1400 years the tradition of killing a lamb twice a day continued, a lamb was chosen and led out at dawn.  At the 3^rd hour that lamb was sacrificed.  At the 6^th hour a second male lamb, spotless and without blemish was chosen and led out to the altar where it was given a drink from a golden cup and tied to the altar!  At the 9^th hour that second lamb was sacrificed and the priest raised his shofar and blew it to signal to the people that there has been atonement for their sins. 

Now picture this – Good Friday.  Early in the morning.  In fact it was at dawn when the first lamb was being chosen by the priest, at this very same time Jesus is standing before the Sanhedrin who condemned him to die.  At the third hour they nailed my Saviour’s hands and feet to a cross and crucified him; the high priest killed the first sacrificial lamb at the third hour.  At the sixth hour darkness covered the land and the priest chose the 2^nd male lamb, without spot and blemish to be sacrificed for the people’s atonement. 

But get this, this is extraordinary.  “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”” Mark 15:34. “And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last” Mark 15:37.  At precisely the 9^th hour the priest slaughtered the atonement lamb for the forgiveness of sins and raised his shofar to notify the people that they are forgiven.  At that very moment my Saviour, my Redeemer, the precious Lamb of God cried out “It is finished” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” John 19:30.   IT IS FINISHED!!!  As the priest raised his shofar to tell the people they were forgiven the veil of the temple was torn in two!  IT IS FINISHED!!!  No more did we have to make the daily sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, Jesus paid it all!

Do you think all these times are purely coincidence?  I think not!  It was all part of God’s perfectly orchestrated plan, planned for you from the beginning of time.  A plan to bring you back to Him, back to His heart and Jesus was the one who paid it all!

Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  John 1:29