The Twenty-ninth Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

The tie in between today’s readings: The wages of sin is death, but eternal life is in Jesus.

Psalm 33:18-22, Isaiah 53:10-11, Hebrews 4:14-16, Mark 10:35-45

The wages of sin is death. The day Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit they died just as God told them, first spiritually, then physically. Before He threw them out of Paradise, the Almighty promised a showdown between Satan and Himself. God declared that Satan would bruise the heel of the woman’s seed, but Satan’s head would be crushed. From that point on, a war raged between the Devil, trying to hold on to his conquered kingdom, and God, reaching out to redeem a fallen mankind.

By rights, the Lord should have struck Adam and Eve dead right then and there for their sin. But instead, He kills the first animals and makes clothing for them. He covered their nakedness and by this also symbolically covered their sin. The sacrificial system had begun. Don’t miss this!  As Biblical history unfolds, God expands on the application of sacrifices. With Abel as the first example, we see the sacrifice of a lamb for a man. Then fast forward to the Passover: a lamb for a family. Next, as God sets up the Levitical priesthood and Yom Kippur and applies a sacrifice for the nation. But the Bible says that the blood of bulls and goats can not take away any sins (Hebrews 10:4). These have all so far been ceremonial foreshadowing of the real sacrifice: Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. On Calvary’s cross at high noon the showdown of the ages began as Christ, the all perfect sacrifice, was offered up once and for all and demolished evil forever.

Today’s reading in Isaiah 53:10-11 tells us that God was pleased to crush Jesus as a sin offering. But how can something that happened two thousand years ago apply to us today? Our reading in Mark 10:35-45 can clue us in.  James and John want prime positions in Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus asks them if they can drink His cup and be baptized with His baptism, referring to His baptism by fire in paying the wages of our sins on the cross. They say, yes and Jesus agrees that they will. This illustrates an amalgamation between Christ and the sinner, in this case James and John. By faith, we spiritually drink His cup with Him in the garden of Gethsemane (condemned) and are baptized by fire with Him on the cross (executed) and die with Him. Satan’s head is crushed by Christ’s resurrection.  In Him, we also spiritually resurrect to a new life; freed from sin, redeemed back to God and more than conquerors!

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? ³³ Who will bring charges against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; ³⁴ who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. ³⁵ Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ Just as it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We were regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:31-39).

Game Over! On the cross God accomplished a complete and eternal salvation for mankind.  When we do sin, we now have a great high priest, Jesus Christ, sitting at the right hand of the Father, who beckons us to come to the Almighty’s throne for grace and forgiveness (Heb 4:14-16). The Son is our mediator who understands our weaknesses and pleads for our pardon by His sacrifice. The Father always listens.  So, if Satan ever makes you feel guilty by tormenting you about your sinful past, just bring Jesus up and remind him about his disastrous future.

On the surface, the sacrificial system of blood and death seems all so gruesome and gory, but if you peel back the layers you see one shining attribute echoing through it all: love. God so loved the world that He gave His Son (John 3:16). Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). Here is love, not that we loved God, but He loved us and gave His life a ransom for many (1 John 4:10) and on and on. Love is why it pleased the Father to crush His Son! We can rejoice in God’s mercy and loving kindness through Jesus (Psalm 33:18-22).  

So, don’t be on the outside looking in. The wages of your sins need to be paid. If not by Jesus, then it will be by you in the lake of fire forever: the second death (Revelations 20:14). Do not refuse the love of God. There is no escape if you neglect so great a salvation (Hebrews 2:3). If you haven’t yet, get real with Christ and embrace His sacrifice offered to you. By faith, go through the judgment of God with Him on the cross. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23). Don’t miss this!

• I go into this topic in more detail in a “Sacramental Illustration of Saving Faith“, located in this blog under the “Insights” heading .