Deliverance and Destiny
I read Psalm 136 this morning. Amidst the echo of “God’s steadfast love endures forever”, the author remembers the defining story of Israel (and the entire Old Testament) – the deliverance of God’s people from slavery in Egypt into God’s promises and destiny.
When Jesus’ ministry reached its climax at his death and resurrection, it was during the celebration of this national Jewish holiday that he was crucified. God’s people were busy sacrificing a lamb and eating a sacred meal in remembrance of their deliverance from Egypt. And at the same time, Jesus was celebrating the same meal with his disciples and reinventing it for his followers forever: “Take this bread…it is my body. Take this cup…it is my blood.” And then Jesus was crucified. He was buried. He rose again.
A Sin Story??
Sometimes Christians talk as if the primary thing Jesus does is deal with sin. People who like big religious words call this dealing with sin “atonement.” And while this is certainly part of what Jesus’ death and resurrection accomplish, it’s not the main thing.
There’s actually a Jewish holiday specifically for that purpose. Conveniently enough, it’s called the “Day of Atonement.” Like Passover, sacrifices were made by the priests and the sins of the people were taken care of year by year. Jesus certainly could have died and been resurrected surrounding the Day of Atonement if he wanted us to understand his significance primarily in terms of his dealing with our sin. But he didn’t.
Restoration
Instead, Jesus chose the Passover. Jesus wanted us to understand that through him, people would be set free from oppression and slavery in all its nefarious forms. And not for nothing. The whole point is that through Jesus, all is restored. We step under the reign of a rightful and good King. And in doing so, we begin a journey back into all of God’s promises and purposes.
Finally, let’s connect this back to the bigger story. God didn’t create people to be religious. He created people to be instruments of blessing throughout creation. He created us to reflect his goodness and likeness everywhere. He created us to govern creation on his behalf, to bring order from chaos, and to make creation fruitful.
In the big picture, Jesus’ story isn’t about sin or religion. It’s about setting everything right. It’s about freeing us to be truly human just like he was. Freedom from the kingdoms of darkness for life in the kingdom of God. That’s the good news. That’s the main thing.