Yesterday morning, as I was driving to work, I heard the story “The Ragman.” If you have never read it or heard it, google it. There are several performances of it on You Tube. Here is a brief synopsis.
It is the story of a ragman who would trade old rags for new rags. Along the ragman’s journey he trades a blooded rag for a clean bonnet and takes on the bloody wound. He exchanges his jacket for another’s jacket, however this person is missing an arm. Now the ragman is missing an arm. He continues on his way swapping out wounds and hurts with healing and new garments.
Eventually the ragman finds his way to a garbage heap. Worn down, bruised, and bloody the ragman lies down and dies.
It was at this point in the story I began to imagine my hurts and sins being carried by Jesus. He carried it all with Him to the cross. He lovingly replaced my pain with healing. The pain didn’t necessarily vanish. It was transferred to Him. While enduring the physical pain of crucifixion, He bore the emotional pain of sin. He bore the Father’s inability to look at Him because of my sin.
The story continues. Three days later the ragman rose from the dead. He was restored to perfect health. All the old, tattered rags were shiny and new.
This Easter Sunday celebrate 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” (NIV)
