Jesus Traded Places

What Did Jesus Do?

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
John 1.29

I have said it before, I am not into so-called “reality” television. Yet it is hard to avoid, as it appears to be the favorite programming choice de jeur of nearly every network. I am not sure, but I think there might be a show called Trading Places? Regardless, it is a very good thing that the Lamb of God was willing to trade places with us.

I like basketball, especially college hoops. And, as my family can tell you, don't bother me in March when the “Madness” comes over me. This passion for basketball may be why, after twenty years, I can recall vividly an illustration my friend David Currie used to teach about substitutionary atonement.

Imagine you are in a basketball game. Just seconds after the tip-off a whistle blows—you've been called for a foul. O.K., calm down, get into the flow of the game. But no, the ball has barely been inbounded and another whistle is blowing, and the ref is pointing at you again. Two fouls, and only seconds into the game! Way before the first television timeout, in fact long before anyone is near to working up a sweat, you've got five personal fouls, and the referee is pointing to the bench, you've fouled out in less than a minute. You can't even look at your teammates; you don't dare glance at the coach. All you do is stare at the floor as you shuffle off the court to a mixture of boos and derisive laughter.

But, just before you reach your seat at the far end of the pine, a new member of the team, a guy you hardly know yet, pats you on the shoulder as he takes off his warm-up jacket and says, “Don't worry, I've got you covered.” And Jesus enters the game for you. And he scores a gazillion points and, single handed, he wins the game. The next day, when you check the box scores, you see something that looks like a misprint. Under “Leading Scorers” for the game, there is your name, with a world-record gazillion points! Just below, under “Fouled Out” you see the name of “Jesus.”

Of course, life is more than a basketball game (But don't try and argue that at a Duke-UNC game!). And sin is far more serious than committing a personal foul. But when the Lamb of God entered the “game” (Came into the world—the Incarnation) he did so to take our place and win the victory, while accepting all the “fouls” we commit and suffering the penalty in our place.

Come March, there will be countless rabid fans of some 68 teams rooting madly for their favorites in the “Big Dance.” I, too, will be cheering, though I don't have one team I'm wed to. The thing is, when the time comes for the really BIG “Dance,” when fouling out is for eternity, all that is going to matter is that the Lamb of God has taken our place on the cross, and that we confess that Jesus our Lord and Savior won it all for us when he took away our sin. You see, when the final whistle blows, and the referee is about to toss us, what will save us is that Jesus traded places.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4