Day 16 - Nailed to the Cross (Col 2:13-15)

¹³ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.  ¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. Colossians 2:13-15

The ultimate power rulers and authorities had over Jesus was death. The Jewish leaders got their way and witnessed this sentence and the crucifixion of Jesus. In their minds, they won. Their biggest threat was gone. But three days later, Jesus rose from the dead.

The worst they could do to Him had no power over Him. Little did they know, it was what He came for. They thought they triumphed over Him, but it was He who triumphed over them.

It was not the end. In fact, it was just the beginning.

Through different words, visuals and metaphors, Paul tells the story of grace to the Colossians. The significance of what Jesus actually did for us on the cross. Just as legal wrongdoings require accountability and justice, so do moral ones. But we can never meet the demands. We would always be in debt. Just try to be holy for an hour. Impossible.

Imagine all your wrongdoings logged and submitted for punishment. All actions, thoughts, motives…hidden and out in the open…past, present and future. The document would be long and thick. Now imagine this thick document slipped between the hand of Jesus and the cross. A nail securing it in place binding them together. The document covered in the blood of Jesus, unable to come lose. Then taken down with the body of Jesus and buried in the grave.

This is what Jesus did for us. It is incredible. The debt paid and wiped clean. Imagine being dragged from a jail cell, placed in a court room and having all of your sins read aloud. The guilt, shame and panic unbearable. The anxiety waiting for the verdict and punishment. Then imagine Jesus walking in from the back of the courtroom, approaching the judge and taking the verdict and punishment upon Himself. The judge looks at you and simply says, you are free to go. Case closed. The life you imagined of eternal punishment now set utterly free.

As this visual rolls around in my head, I am baffled as to why Christians spend so much time attacking and being attacked. The message of grace, sacrifice, forgiveness and canceled debt is so beautiful and freeing.

This is the message Paul is trying to pound in their heads through all ways he can think of. How can we make it understood and make it stick?

Because the truth is, THIS is what will make us want to walk out of the courtroom and do life differently. To live with a lightened load, to live with immense gratitude, to live telling others of the amazing gift we were given, to love more deeply.

God, let us embrace and experience the freedom of our document of sin nailed to the cross. Let it drive us to love and share the message of grace with others.