Another Man's Crime

Thought: "When you make the sacrifice in marriage, you're sacrificing not to each other but to unity in a relationship" - Joseph Campbell

Bible text: “But the fact is, it was our pains he carried--our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him--our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).

Calvin Willis stepped out of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, his arms raised in victory. Willis had served 22 years—half his lifetime—behind prison bars for another man’s brutal crime. Post-conviction DNA testing in 2003 excluded Willis as the perpetrator of a 1981 rape for which he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Despite a solid alibi and evidence that pointed toward another individual, witnesses’ accounts and a match between Willis’ blood type and fluids found at the scene persuaded a jury that Willis was guilty. Only after technological advances enabled further testing of the decades-old DNA was Willis exonerated.

It is unthinkable that Willis, or any other human being, would purposely accept the punishment for another’s crime. However, fully understanding the path His conviction would lead Him, Jesus suffered willingly for crimes he had no part in—the sins of countless generations to come. He took the wrongs of the beings He loved so much and made the crimes His own, accepting not only the disfiguring stigma of the sins themselves, but also the separation from God that was an inherent part of the process.

Healing Power

Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 foretells the story of His great sacrifice. “But the fact is, it was our pains he carried--our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him--our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).

Christ knew we were imperfect. He could see each and every sin humans would commit throughout the centuries. He knew many would turn their back and refuse His sacrifice. And yet, we are told, like a lamb about to be sacrificed, Jesus lay down His life in an effort to save even one person who might choose life over sin and Christ over chaos (Isaiah 53:7).

While it is only natural for a human to seek justice over a wrongful conviction, Christ knew His acceptance of our sins would have wonderful eternal ramifications for those who would choose Him. Isaiah 53:12 states, “Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly--the best of everything, the highest honors--Because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch, because he embraced the company of the lowest. He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many, he took up the cause of all the black sheep.” For the cost of His suffering, we are invited to spend eternity with Him in a place created especially for us.

By Lauren Schwarz. Copyright © 2006 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE ®.

Soul sized issues

Bible text: Let us draw near [to God] with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Hebrews 10:22

Thought: Like cold water to a parched throat so is peace to a weary soul.

Prayer:Sovereign Father, as I begun this new day filled with responsibilities and soul sized issues; I am irresistibly drawn into Your presence by the magnetism of Your love and my need for your guidance. I come to You at Your invitation; in the quiet of intimate communion with You, the tightly wound springs of pressure and stress are released and a profound inner peace fills my heart and mind.

I hear again the impelling cadences of the drumbeat of Your Spirit calling me to press on in the battle for truth, righteousness, and justice. My mind snaps to full attention, and my heart salutes You as Sovereign Lord. You have given me a mind capable of receiving Your mind, an imagination able to envision Your plan and purpose for me, and a will ready to do Your will.

Help me to remember that no problem is too small to escape Your concern and no perplexity is too great to resist Your solutions. I know You will go before me to show me the way, behind me to press me forward, beside me to give me courage, above me to protect me, and within me to give me wisdom and discernment.

Lead on, oh King Eternal…in Your all-powerful name.