16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 19:16–19 (ESV): The Rich Young Man
Abba,
The requirements for eternal life?
Perfection.
Keeping the law perfectly.
Keeping it without fail, without mistake, without error.
It is hopeless then, if it were to depend on us.
For just one minor infraction, and the whole deal is done, our fate sealed and determined.
But this is exactly why you entered, why you stepped in. You came TO BEAR MY GUILT. You bore more than hay on your infant head that night. You bore more than grave cloths on your body that night. You bore the burden of coming to die, of bearing the weight and guilt of my sin, a guilt that would incur the wrath of Your Father on your shoulders SO THAT I would be relieved of bearing that burden myself.
You bore my guilt, so that I would not have to.
You were the only one who could do this, for you are the only one ever to never once sin in the entirety of His human existence. And it was Your selfless love that compelled You.
So much weight for an infant to bear. So much of a burden for one child to carry. And yet, because You are the Son of God, because of Your great love, it was neither a burden too heavy nor too grievous for You to bear.
Thank You, Jesus for bearing the guilt that my flesh committed and the wrath that my person rightfully deserves.
A Singular Passion 