A few weeks ago, my family discovered the world of falling dominoes. This discovery sent us into a deep dive of extensive videos of domino showcases featuring high numbers of falling domino tiles, sometimes hundreds of thousands of tiles.
If you’ve never seen one, the basic premise is that domino tiles are carefully placed in such a way that the tipping of just the first domino creates a chain reaction that knocks down all the other tiles, often creating a beautiful picture or fun effect as the tiles tip and fall. For days my kids begged to watch videos of these chain reactions, and it sparked great conversations in our house about actions and consequences.
Our actions always have consequences, whether good or bad. Many of us have heard the phrase “you reap what you sow.” Since the beginning of time, humankind has been reaping what they’ve sown.
Adam and Eve’s betrayal of their Creator in the garden of Eden started a chain reaction. That very first sin so many thousands of years ago tipped the dominos over, so to speak. And every one of us to come after them is now born into sin, our fate heading on a fast track destined for destruction.
We know that the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23), and we can feel the weight of sin in our lives every day, especially during the Christmas season. Between sips of hot cocoa and decorating the tree, we are more keenly aware of the consequences of sin during holiday seasons. Maybe we mourn a family member that won’t be home for Christmas because of broken relationships. We are tempted and pulled by consumerism as we search for the best sales. Greed pushes us to continually search for more to buy. Pride pushes us to strive to put our best face forward, caring more about our own reputation than Jesus’.
Though these are just a few examples, there is no doubt that even in a season dedicated to celebrating the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, sin leads to consequence. We’ve all sown sin. Left to our own strivings, our dominos would continue to fall, until we reap the death our sin deserves.
But if there is one thing we know about our God to which we cling even in the darkest of times, it’s that He hasn’t left us alone. Instead, He stepped into our world and took the consequence for our sin. He didn’t turn a blind eye to our sin or pretend it didn’t exist. In His love and mercy, He takes on the pain and suffering that come from our betrayal and unfaithfulness and completely changes the course of our lives – away from destruction and towards peace.
In this way, God is able to be both just and loving, righteous and merciful, holy and gracious. His just, righteous, and holy nature demands the punishment for sin, just as there is no stopping the dominos once they start falling, God wouldn’t be God without pursuing justice for unrighteousness in the world. But His loving, merciful, and gracious nature steps into our mess, and He pays the punishment for us. He doesn’t deny the need for justice. He fulfills it through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and he then invites us into peace with Him. But this sacrifice of love came at a cost, a brutal death on a painful, splintered wooden cross.
And now, we reap the blessings of Jesus’ sacrifice. From His death comes the free gift of righteousness. Paul writes to the church in Rome that “just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to life for all people” (Romans 5:18).
God’s Kingdom is an upside-down one, one that seems foolish to those who don’t know Him. Without God, we reap what we sow, sin and death. But God has graciously offered a gift to us, to reap what He has sown instead, forgiveness and life.
Today, I encourage you to take a couple of minutes to reflect on what we gain from Christ’s suffering.
Wounds that bring healing.
His wounds brought our healing. The psalmist proclaims in Psalm 147:3 that God binds up the hearts of the wounded.
Punishment that brings peace.
His punishment brought our peace (though the punishment was for our sins, Jesus alone endured the punishment). Ephesians 2:13-14 reminds us that we have been brought near to God through the blood of Christ, who is our peace.
Death that brings life.
His death brought our new life. Don’t take for granted John 3:16 and Jesus’ promise of life to all who believe in Him.
Friends, may we never minimize or overlook the suffering of our Savior that brought us peace. Amid the crazy of the Christmas season, may we not just settle for setting aside a few quiet moments to reflect on Jesus’ gift. Let’s allow the peace we’ve received from our suffering Savior to settle deeply into every corner of our heart, transforming every relationship, desire and dream.
As He has drawn near to us, let us draw near to Him with deep gratitude, awe, and praise. God’s gift isn’t a one-and-done deal; His gift keeps giving. We reap the blessings of His mercy and grace every single day when we experience the comfort He gives through His Spirit, the guidance He provides through His Word, and the purpose He calls us to through the Body of Christ as ambassadors to a lost world.
This Christmas, let us dwell on the miracle that though we have sown sin and death, we can reap the life and joy that comes from knowing Jesus Christ, our suffering Savior, through faith in Him.
