“When Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”
“And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
“And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us… saying,
“’I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’
“Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
“Therefore, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:5-7,10-15,17-23
The work of a priest was ongoing, messy. Look for blemishes, choose animal. Slay. Blood. And go again, do again, day in and out, morning and evening sacrifices. Theirs was a privileged yet grueling appointment to keep the law. But when Jesus came, His perfect body became the final sacrifice, His perfect blood our complete and final atonement. How beautiful the unblemished, broken body of Christ!
Depictions of the crucifixion are many and varied, yet their portrayal impacts our grasp of Christ’s gift at Calvary. How do I process the horror? Do I mock the surrender, afraid to acknowledge my own disobedience? Do I condemn as failure what is actually my own? Am I ambivalent to the sacrifice, callous to its brash conviction? Or am I ashamed of the brutal injustice, knowing it was mine to incur against my bleak, heinous sin? (Matthew 27:22-30,51-54)
Will I this day cherish the Crucified, the exquisite God-man in perfect yet broken flesh, spilling compassion, grace, and truth in blood drops for me? How will I receive and rejoice in the beautiful body of my forever High Priest? (John 1:14)
“How beautiful the hands that served
The wine and the bread and the sons of the earth
How beautiful the feet that walked
The long dusty roads and the hill to the cross
How beautiful is the body of Christ.
How beautiful the heart that bled
That took all my sin and bore it instead
How beautiful the tender eyes
That choose to forgive and never despise
How beautiful is the body of Christ.” ~Twila Paris (1990)
My Lord, may I never forget Your sacrifice, Your infinite love and grace, always giving thanks and willing to extend in kind to others in Your name, and for Your sake and honor.
As the rain and snow 
I know that we see through a mirror dimly and can hardly grasp what He has done. Thank you for this reminder to look deeper. “ How can it be that Thou my God should die for me?”
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