Eastertide #24:

Christ offered himself for us.

(Hebrews 9:23-25)

Whatever it was that God was doing on the Cross; it was “for us and our salvation” (Chalcedon). “For our sake,” as the Apostle reveals to us, “God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Christ we might become right with God” (2Cor 5:21).

The Reformers called this the “Wonderful Exchange” (Calvin’s Institutes IV.xvii.2). It goes like this… by taking the weight of our sin upon himself, Christ exchanged our sin for his righteousness. The Son of God becomes the Son of Man with us, in exchange, God makes us sons of God with Him. Or again, by the Son of God’s descent to earth, he has prepared an ascent to heaven for us. Or again, by taking on our mortality, he has conferred his immortality upon us. Or again, by accepting our weakness, he has strengthened us by his power. This Wonderful Exchange involves the whole Jesus story from Advent and Christmas to Ascension and Pentecost. Easter Morning, right in the middle of it all, is God’s “Yes” to us. Yes, it is really so.