The Joke's on You!

And you...hath he quickened together with him...blotting out the handwriting...that was against us...and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them....
Colossians 2:13 15 (KJV)

Well, Devil, I guess now’s as good a time as any to let you in on the little joke. I don’t know how you missed it for so long, but we’ll chalk it up to pride.

So here’s the thing. Remember tempting Adam and Eve in the garden? I suppose you had the upper hand then, huh? But there were hints, even way back then. First a riddle, that He would crush your head and you would bruise His heel. Then a clue: God clothed Adam and Eve with animal skins.

In hindsight, do you see it? You must not, because day in and day out for the last six thousand years or so, you have tried to make us fall short before God. But you know what? It’s a funny thing about those animal skins. They required bloodshed. You know what else? Those skins covered their nakedness.

Okay, okay, I’ll spell it out. Sure, you got Adam and Eve to sin—plus a bonus! All their descendants inherited sinful natures. I agree: it looks bleak if you stop there, but fast-forward to a little place called “Calvary.” Christ shed His own blood (infinitely more effectual than that of animals’) to pay for our sin. I guess He gave us His own skin, too, because He calls us His Body.

Oh, I almost forgot. The “bonus?” Our sinful state qualifies us to receive grace and inherit His righteous nature. Good one, huh?

Dear Jesus, help us to share the joke with everyone we know!

© 2011 Katherine A. Fuller