He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. —1 Peter 2:24
During the seventeenth century, Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, sentenced a soldier to be shot for his crimes. The execution was scheduled to take place at the ringing of the evening curfew bell. But when the time came, the bell made no sound. The soldier’s fiancé had climbed into the belfry and wrapped herself around the clapper.
When the fiancé explained what she had done, Cromwell’s heart was touched. He said, “Your love shall live because of your sacrifice. Curfew shall not ring tonight.”3
In a small sense, that’s a picture of what Jesus did for us. He didn’t deserve to go to the cross but was willing to die so that we would not have to experience God’s wrath.
By nature, love is redemptive. It wants to save and not to judge. It feels the pain of those it loves. It helps to carry the burden of the hurt and is willing, if necessary, to take the consequences of the sin of those that it loves.
3 Duane V. Maxey, “The Story of ‘The Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight’” http://wesley.nnu.edu/wesleyctr/books/2001-2100/HDM2007.pdf, accessed March 24, 2021.
Make it Personal
Do you have the kind of love that covers a multitude of offenses? What are ways you can cover and protect those around you from harm?