Angry at the Train – Part Two

Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. Exodus 13:13

In yesterday’s blog I wrote about getting stuck at a train crossing a few weeks back. If you didn’t read it, here’s the condensed version: On my way home from the gym recently, I was in a hurry, got stopped at the train crossing, got angry, and God used the situation to teach me patience. I wrote that I didn’t believe God purposefully put that train there to teach me patience, but now I’m not so sure. Yesterday, as I was coming home from the gym again, I came up over the hill and saw the flashing lights of the train crossing. I could see the end of the train though, so I knew it would soon pass. Then the train began to slow. In the end, the engine stopped just a few feet short of being off the road, still blocking the intersection. There it sat. At this point, I’d already waited five or ten minutes and I could feel my anger rising. Stupid @#$* train! Now I’m going to be late!

As it turns out, my lesson of patience wasn’t over. I’m not perfect yet. I still need God, and he still has work to do in my life. In recovery for nearly 10 years, it’s easy to look back and see my need for God – back then. The truth though, is that I still need Jesus just as much today as I did in my addiction. As long as I’m living in this flawed body, I need saving from myself.

In scripture, Jesus is referred to as the lamb of God (John 1:20). Today’s passage explains why. In the story, God’s people were saved from the 10^th Egyptian plague – the death of every firstborn. From then on, every firstborn son was to be consecrated to God. This was to remind God’s people how he’d spared their sons. This didn’t mean they had to sacrifice the child. They did, however, have to sacrifice a lamb to redeem or buy back the child. In essence, a lamb had to die to save the child. So, when John the Baptist later declared that Jesus was the lamb of God, he meant that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice that would save us from ourselves.

Today is Easter, the day that Christians celebrate Christ’s resurrection. As Christians, we believe that our sin separated us from God. God loved us though, so he came to Earth to be the perfect sacrifice, redeeming us – buying us back. As Christians, it’s often easy to think that we once needed Christ – back then. The truth though, is that we daily need Jesus. We’re not perfect. We’re still flawed. And he’s still saving us. Easter reminds us of Christ’s sacrifice, but it also reminds us that, just as Christ was raised from the dead, we too may daily find new life in following him as he continually redeems us from ourselves.