Good Friday

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6
Perhaps the greatest torment that Jesus faced while on the cross was that of separation. The disciples had deserted Him in the garden; only the women and John stood by the cross as He died. But even more than this: Jesus was separated from the Father for the first time in eternity. He did not merely bear our sins, He became the embodiment of sin (2 Cor. 5:21). It was as if Jesus Himself had committed every sin by every person who ever walked on the face of the earth. God laid all that upon Him. And when He did so, it meant that Jesus could no longer be in God’s presence, so the Father withdrew Himself.
I don’t think it is possible for us to completely grasp the enormity of what happened on the cross. How can God Himself become the embodiment of sin? And why would He do it for weak, fickle humans like us? But while I can’t fully understand it, I can grasp it with both hands and express my gratitude to the One who bore my sin and died in my place, taking the punishment that I deserved. It was my sin that took Him to the cross – and it was His love that held Him there.