If I had to come back to earth one day and choose a different career, I would most likely study engineering. I love processes. Bottlenecks and problems attract me like a magnet. 

I can stand for hours and consider different solutions until I finally come up with one that I think will work. Then, I stop everything and try the new method. Most of the time, this is very successful. 

Figuring out where a mistake started can be tough. Finding a solution isn’t always easy either. But when things are done in a better way that actually works, everyone benefits. 

A big mistake happened in the world. The bottleneck that prevented everything from running smoothly arose early on in the Garden of Eden with the first caretakers. 

Adam and Eve decided they could make things work better and tried to introduce a different methodology on the recommendation of an incompetent, corrupt, wannabe engineer. His intentions weren’t good at all. 

The consequences were more than just a bottleneck in the process. Everything actually came to a standstill. Everything was messed up, and the caretakers were fired on the spot. The same thing happened to their descendants. 

Of course, this really hurt the Designer. He wanted the process to run smoothly again. He knew exactly where the problem lay. He knew exactly how to fix it. 

We know what the solution was. We know that only one person was suitable, had the tools, and was qualified to fix where others had put a spoke in the wheel. 

5Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in him … 

Jesus was qualified. He had the papers. He was the only one who had the power to do something about this world’s problem. His papers said: Qualified Son of God, completely without sin. 

The price that had to be paid was the highest that had ever been spent on such a project. Well, it was actually more than all the money in the world combined. It cost the life of the Son of the Ruler of the world. 

You and I are now living with the consequences of the great fixing project. Yes, sin is still a part of life. Jesus’ command was not just to wave a wand and woof! all sin disappeared from the world. 

The consequences of mankind’s stupid choices are unfortunately still present, but the plan of salvation came to upset the apple cart of the process. Instead of us having to take the blame, namely death, for the consequences of our actions, the One who is without sin, the only one qualified to do it, came to fix it.  

Jesus, the engineer of souls, took the process of death and remade it entirely. The result? Life, and a return to true flourishing. 

 Scripture
1 John 3:4-10 

Reflection
What does Jesus’ death on the cross mean to you personally?
How do you walk through life differently?
What impact does it have on the people around you? 

Prayer
Jesus, thank you for your incredible sacrifice. By dying in my place, you saved me from that path of suffering. I am speechless with awe. Amen.