What’s the most important day in your life?

What is the most important event that has happened in your life? Would you answer the day you were married? Would you say the most important day of your life was the day your child was born? Or, perhaps you see the day you graduated or the day you were hired for a really good job as the most important in your life.

As Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday today and ends with Easter on April 20, let me ask you to think about another day that is important for your life now and eternally. Around the year 30, 31 or 32 A.D., on the Friday of Passover week in Jerusalem, Jesus died a death of torture on a cross. Crucifixions were not uncommon in the Roman world. It was such a painful death that the Romans saved this execution for the worst criminals. Romans citizens, by law, could not be executed in this manner. But, the creator of the universe, the son of God himself — Jesus, the promised messiah — went to Jerusalem to the Passover knowing he would die by crucifixion.

Sometimes people ask me when I was saved. I know they want to know when I came to faith. But my best answer is that I was saved from sin and death and hell in Jerusalem about 2,000 years ago when my Savior died for me. I firmly believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection are the most important events in history for my life.

Considering my struggle with sin, it is life-changing to know that Jesus loved me enough to die for me. I am regularly amazed and saddened at how easily I can fail my Lord. It seems I can rebel against God or hurt others without even trying. My sin, and everyone’s sin, separates from God and from others.

However, thankfully God knew our failure and our need, and Jesus knowingly faced this horrible death to pay for our sin. So, while we struggle with our sin, Jesus died to pay the debt we owe. While we all face death, Jesus died so we don’t have to die eternally. Jesus’ death lets me live in the peace of his forgiveness in this life and in the sure hope of everlasting life in heaven.

Often our failure and sin causes us to wonder if we are worthy of being loved. “Look what I did this time!” But God shows us how loved we are. He didn’t just forgive our sins, the lord of all sent his son! Personally, I might face danger for someone I love, but I would not ask my children to do that. God the father sent his son, Jesus. And Jesus loved us so much he suffered torture and rejection and death by crucifixion.

Romans 5:8 says it well: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

You may notice that in speaking of the approximate year of Jesus’ death I used the traditional form of noting the year. I used A.D., anno domini, “the year of our lord.” I believe the early Western calendar makers, who were admittedly Christian, got it right when they based all time around the pivotal event in history, the life and death and resurrection of our lord, Jesus Christ.

Each of us may look back on our lives and think of important days. It seems to me personally that my wedding day, the day my marriage began, has brought the greatest number of obvious blessings to my life. My wife and family are such a blessing! But I know that even my marriage pales in comparison to what Jesus accomplished when he died for me. When he died, Jesus gave God’s love in a way that blesses us daily, and blesses us eternally. Thank you, lord!

Jonathan Rockey is pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer. Contact him at jonrock53@mtaonline.net.

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