Paid in Full (The Easter Story)

In this episode, Dayna walks through the story of Scripture to answer a deeper question: what does it actually cost to make things right when we mess up? From the Passover in Exodus to the sacrificial system and ultimately to Jesus on the cross, she connects how the Bible reveals a pattern of payment, substitution, and redemption.

This episode unpacks how what once required continual sacrifice was fulfilled once and for all through Jesus, and what that means for us today.

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Buckle up besties. We're back in our Bibles. Hello and welcome back to the podcast, Gospel to Go, with a bite-sized Bible study you can take with you anywhere. My name is Dana. I'm your host, and I'm so excited and happy that you are joining me today. Whether it is your first episode of mine you're listening to, or your 19th, 20, we're getting up there, guys. We've we've recorded a lot. I'm excited. Um, but regardless, whether you have been here for a while or you're brand new, I love you so much, and Jesus loves you. And today we have such a good episode to dive deep into. And I feel like I say that all the time. But as y'all know, today is Good Friday. Uh, and we're gonna talk a little bit more about Good Friday, why it is called Good. I've always wondered that that's you know, why it's called Good Friday. We're gonna talk a little bit about the Easter story, the Last Supper, and how it all, you know, connects all the way back, all the way back. Like we're gonna go back to Exodus, Leviticus, and I'm excited. So definitely wanna have your Bibles out today. And you know, I always start my podcasts and most of my Bible study videos on TikTok with buckle up besties. We're back in our Bibles, and I really don't know why that is. I feel like the very first Bible study that I put out there, it's just what came up. It's just what came out of my mouth. I don't know. And so sometimes I just feel like we have to like have extra protection, and I need to reiterate, we are actually going to need to buckle up today. Like there is so much in this episode that I'm really excited to share, and I'm really excited for y'all to learn about. Or if you've already learned it or know it, I'm excited to just bring it back to the table here. Um, and so yeah, let's just make sure those seatbelts are fastened. If you are somewhere safe, so if you're not driving, running, walking, mowing the lawn, I don't know, um, then I ask you to please bow your head and join me in prayer before we begin. Lord, God, I come to you today with so much excitement and anticipation in preparation for Easter. We are just three days away from your resurrection, the mystery of faith, and I come to you with so much gratitude. Lord, thank you so much for what you did for us, me and my brothers and sisters listening to this podcast. Thank you for what you did for us and our sins so that we would have a chance at everlasting life. You have paid the ultimate sacrifice, and we would not be here without you today, Lord, and we would not have the chance at heaven without what you did. Thank you so much, Jesus. I pray that this podcast finds somebody who needs it today. I pray that you help speak through me as I deliver the contents of this podcast, and I pray that whoever needs to hear it most is on the other side. Lord, wrap us in your arms. Remind us that you are always here to take good care of us, that we always can trust you, and that your way will always be the best way. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. All right, you guys. So I want to start you guys off with a question. Okay, this is like the question of payment. What does it actually cost to make things right when we mess up? And what if the price is more than we can ever afford? You know, when we mess up or we do something wrong, we're almost automatically thinking, like, I'm gonna have to pay for this, you know, whether it's you break something in the store or you hurt someone's feelings, you're like, there's gonna be some sort of payment from this. Like, I am going to have to do something to make it up, right? So I'm gonna bring you guys into the book of Exodus. This is right at the beginning of the Bible after Genesis. Um, this is really, really taken it back. Okay, the Israelites are enslaved in Egypt. God sends plagues, but the final plague that he sends is very, very different. Okay, and this is the story of the Passover. Each household is told to sacrifice a lamb and put the blood of that lamb on their doorposts. So I want you guys to understand though, because I've always been a little bit confused by this story. And yesterday I went to Holy Thursday Mass and they read this as the first reading, and it kind of started to click. It's been our second, though, also since I've read the Old Testament. I'm really bad about reading the Old Testament. Uh, there's reasons why. Like it's just, it's, it's harder to understand and it's really heavy. There's a lot of weight in the in the Old Testament, you guys. Um, but anyway, nevertheless, it's been a while since I've been there. So I needed a little bit of a refresher. But I want you guys to understand the key idea here is that these people were not spared because they were good. It was because they were covered in the blood of the lamb. Which foreshadowing, yeah, we might you might understand where I'm going with this, okay? A lamb had to die because of these people's sins, and they were to use the blood of that lamb to cover their doorposts, and then they you would be, it would, they pass then what am I trying to say? Hello, words. Um, Passover is all about sparing those people who were covered by the blood, right? And so nothing about what was inside the home mattered. Like it didn't matter what they looked like, it didn't matter what their occupation was, it didn't matter, honestly, it didn't even matter if they were good or bad people, right? If their doorpost was covered by the blood of the lamb, they were spared. This is the first major theme, okay? Substitution. A lamb dies so that the people live. Judgment essentially passes over because of the blood. So the old system, because we know that the wages of sin is death. So death is always going to be payment for a sin. But in the old testament, it was much different than how we know it now. That's why I always like to say, thank God we are living on this side of the cross. This is why. Um, the sacrificial system. So in Leviticus, just lots of lots of sacrificial things happening in Leviticus. People had to continually offer sacrifices. Animals stood in for human guilt. And it's like, it is hard for me to talk about or picture or even like discuss like the fact that an animal had to stand in for human guilt and human mistakes that like my heart can't even bear imagining Jesus doing it. Like it hurts enough that I'm thinking of a baby goat or goat. No, there were goats that were sacrificed, but lamb too. Like the baby lamb, it was like something like it needed to be like one year old and it had to have like no defects. Like it was a perfect baby lamb, okay, that needed to be slaughtered. Animals stood in for this human guilt. This wasn't random. It's it reinforced basically that sin is very, very serious. Okay, it costs life and it had to be dealt with repetitely. Imagine living in a world where every mistake required blood. Every mistake you made required something having to be sacrificed, something having to die in your in that place where forgiveness was real, but it was like never finished. Also a bit of foreshadowing, okay? The system works. Like, okay, these people just they mess up and then something has to die in their place, but there's no completion, it's it's still incomplete. So enter Jesus, right? A new kind of lamb. Jesus arrives during Passover season, which is important to note. I don't think I really fully ever understood that until recently. And then he's later called the Lamb of God. Do we see the correlation here? There are so many connections in the Bible, and like this is just one huge one. But unlike the old system, no repeated sacrifices needed to be made, and there was no temporary covering. If you messed up and then you had to take a lamb or a goat or whatever, I don't even want to talk about it. If you had to sacrifice an animal in your place, okay, it was just temporary because you're gonna mess up again, and then something else is gonna have to happen, and there's going to need to be more death, right? To cover your sin, to cover the wage of your sin. This doesn't exist anymore because of Jesus. All right. The Last Supper. Jesus shares bread and wine with his disciples. At this point, there's 12 of them left. Okay. And he reframes everything. He says, He holds up the bread, right? He says, This is my body, it shall be given up for you. He holds up the wine and he says, This is my blood. He takes the symbols of Passover and he's basically saying, This isn't about Egypt anymore. Because up until this point, right, everyone is remembering what was taught back in like with the Israelites and Moses. Like, this is what we have to do to pay for sin. No, this isn't about that anymore. It's not temporary anymore. This is going to be forever. You guys don't understand now what I am yet to do, okay? But this is about me. He is essentially saying, I am the lamb now. I am the only lamb. I'm the lamb of God. I am I'm it. I'm it. This is the final Passover. Right? This is it. It is finished. That's out of John at the very end of Jesus' death. And we could get there, but I was just so excited to tell you guys, like, because I feel like that was such a connection. Like it's finished, it's done, right? But at this point, it's still the Last Supper, so they don't know yet. So then we moved into Good Friday. The payment that's made only once, okay, and it's good forever. It's good forever. Jesus is crucified on Good Friday, which looks like defeat at first, right? But it's actually fulfillment. Like the lamb that happened in Exodus, blood saves. We are we are seeing that, right? This is re this is repeated throughout the Bible. Blood saves. The wages for sin is death. Something has to die or be sacrificed. Blood has to be shed in order to make up for these mistakes and these sins. Like the sacrifices, something innocent dies. But this time, it is voluntary. Okay, that's one key difference between Jesus and an innocent baby lamb. Jesus knew what was happening, he knew what he was doing, and he chose to do it. It was a choice, okay? Jesus chose to die for you, by the way. Let that sink in for a second. He knew you by your name and every mistake you would ever, ever commit, every sin you would ever make, every mistake, every wrongdoing, every evil thought, every evil action that you would ever make. He knew it and he was knowing your name and thinking about you as he was dying on that cross voluntary. It's final. What used to happen over and over again, it happens once and it is done. Not just covering sin, but dealing with it completely. It's done. Okay. Easter, then we come to Easter, right? The proof. Easter is the living proof. Resurrection changes everything. The resurrection is literally what changes everything. That's why I thank goodness we live and we exist on this side of the cross. Without the resurrection, Good Friday is just a tragedy. But with it becomes victory. If Good Friday is the payment, here's our key idea. Key idea here, highlight if Good Friday is the payment, Easter is the receipts. Okay? Resurrection is proof that the debt has already been paid and it's been accepted and it went through and it's done. Think about this just this analogy just popped in my head. Think about in the Old Testament having to use a new lamb for every sin you ever committed. Okay. And it's like a debit card that you have that you always have to like keep refilling. Like, do you guys ever do that? Because I used to be queen of that. I'd literally get up to the cash register or I'd like go out to eat with my friends and be like, hang on one second, I just gotta transfer money over. Just gotta transfer money. Let me just move from my savings to my checking really quick. Yeah, thank you. Uh it's, you know, it's a hassle, it's stressful, and it's temporary, right? Because then that money's gonna go. And then next time I go out to eat, I'm gonna have to make sure I got money in the bank again to transfer it over, and then it's gonna go. And yada yada yada. This is you have an unlimited credit card paid for, it's paid for in full, and you get to just be done. The debt is it's been paid and it's accepted. Now that's not to say that we just get to go on sinning, right? Paul said it best. So does that mean we just keep going on sinning? No, absolutely not. We repent and we're serious about our repentance and we learn from our mistakes, but we are grateful and we practice gratitude often. Again, that we live on this side of the cross. Praise Jesus in Exodus. People needed a lamb. In the old system, people kept paying and paying and paying. In Jesus, the payment is finished. The story of Easter is that we could never afford the wages for our sins. Okay. And what it was that we could never afford, it's now already been paid. That is Easter. That is Easter. So the question isn't what do I owe? It's what do I do with a gift like that? I was given the gift of potential to everlasting life. If I know and trust and love in Jesus Christ, then I trust that I will get to heaven and I will get to experience that everlasting life with him. But just like Jesus had the choice to die on a cross, beaten, mocked, hit, yelled at, ridiculed, just beaten down, a heavy cross, carried it, okay, nailed to it, and died on it. All of it a choice, by the way. Remember, this was voluntary. Then you have the choice to take that gift that he offered you and do something with it. Go spread the gospel, go love your neighbor, read your Bible, okay, do good with what Jesus has given you. I also think there's a contrast in the fear that happens in Egypt. If you guys have read the Old Testament, like you know, just God in the Old Testament, man, it's hard. Sometimes you're like, wow, like the God in the Old Testament is just not the God that we know today. I mean, he's always been the same God. But it I'll just tell you guys, like, if you haven't been there, then you might not know this, but it's a little hard to digest it sometimes. And there was a lot of fear, I think, in Egypt and the Israelites, they just had all this this unknowingness, right? And then the contrast with the peace that we have after the resurrection, like it is palpable. There's the temporary wages that had to happen back then and the permanent it's been paid for, like now, and it's just so different. And that should just be that should make you feel just so warm and fuzzy. Like, in a way, in a way, right? I know this story is like it's it's it's really kind of a it's a hard story once you really understand like what all Jesus went through, and it's okay to be sad, it's okay to feel heavy, right, around this time, but truly understanding like the meaning behind Easter Day and the resurrection is it's so important. And I just found in the Gospel John where it was that he states it is finished, it is in John 19, it's verse 30. It is finished. He says, And if you're going through a time right now in your life where you're just feeling really beaten down and broken, I want you guys to really focus not only on this story, but also remember it throughout the year because obviously the Easter season, it doesn't last forever. And I think come June, August, October, November, I don't know. We I mean life happens, right? And we forget about this time. And I want you guys to remember Jesus literally conquered death, right? And I don't want you to be worried about something in your life, like that it isn't gonna work out the right way. Like worrying is the assumption, you guys, that God will fail. Let that sink in. Worrying is the assumption God will fail. You know, the guy that literally could not even be defeated by death, and you're worried that what you want isn't gonna work out, it's not gonna work out the way you want. Because guess what? It it's always gonna work out. Like it is gonna work out. You know that. I hope you know that. You're just scared it's not gonna go your way. But here's the thing: it's not about you, it's not about you, you guys. I love you, but it's not about you, and thank God. Actually, thank God for that. Do you know where I would be right now? Like who I would be married to, where I would live, what my career would be if I hadn't just like put my faith in God and I had just like, what if God gave me everything I wanted when I was 20 years old? Yikes, yikes. He knows what's best, and thank God I believed in him and I wish I trusted him more. Like, can I honestly say, like, sit here and be like, well, I trusted God this whole time? No, of course I have my doubts. Of course I have my doubts. That's one thing I would change. If I could go back and tell Dana, like at 14 or 15 years old, 18, 19 years old, I'd be like, trust God, dude. Just trust him. Just trust him. It's all gonna work out, it's gonna be fine. And you know the really cool thing? If you believe in Jesus, then even the end of the world won't be the end of the world. Whatever feels like the end of the world is right now, it's not, by the way. Okay, but even if it was, it's not though. It's not because you believe in Jesus and you accept him as your savior, so you're going to heaven. All right. Uh yeah. I I just the story of Easter, it's always been, you know, my favorite um, like if someone when I was younger had me choose between Christmas and Easter, I've always picked Easter. And I don't know why. Because, you know, everyone would be like, what? You're crazy, you don't like Christmas? And I honestly think it had something to do with the weather. Like, I always, always preferred spring over winter. Like, I just, I genuinely believe that if Christmas happened in like the middle of summer, it would be a whole nother ball game. But obviously, that's not our choice. The weather just stinks, it kind of brings me down. Uh, but, anyways, uh all that to say, I digress. I think I'm learning now that I'm like an adult with a fully developed frontal lobe, and I'm actually like learning about Jesus and learning about the Bible and the stories. I'm understanding now that there's a reason I think why my soul always loved Easter more. Obviously, the birth of Jesus is a mirror, is it's amazing. It's incredible, right? We we talked about a lot of this when when it was the Christmas season, and I have a lot of Bible studies over on my TikTok. There's a whole playlist, right? 25 Days of Jesus, and we talked about Jesus' coming and he is born, and it's it's a it's amazing. And we wouldn't even be at Easter without him being born, right? Of course, that's an important factor in Jesus' story, but something about the death and the resurrection of Christ and what he came here to do um has really, really moved me this year. And I don't think I'll ever forget just like how I have embodied this season in my life. And I talked about this a little bit on my Instagram story, but yesterday I was invited by my priest to have my feet washed at the Holy Thursday service. And I've never been to a Holy Thursday Mass. If you're Catholic, then you may know. But um, you know, we completely observed this is the only Mass in the entire liturgical year that you can participate, essentially. Um, most masses obviously are not participatory, like unless you're going out for a communion. And yeah, there are like seven of us that were chosen. He had emailed uh Danny and I like a week before and asked us to come, and I just thought that was really special. And I think it's you know, because we're entering into the sacrament of marriage, of course, and we've developed an amazing relationship with our priest, and we love him. But he invited us to come and have our feet washed, and it was a surreal experience. And um, Danny was like, I felt really moved. He was I I felt something like interesting in that moment. Like I really felt like this sense of calmness like came over me, and I was like, Yeah, like it was just amazing, it was just incredible. And they had a violinist there, like normally the organ players there, right? They had a whole choir. Oh, it was just beautiful, it was stunning, and the violin playing, like, I mean, the music almost brought me to tears. Like, seriously, the opening song when the priest walked in was Lift Up Your Cross. If you're Catholic, then you know, lift up your cross. Oh my gosh. And it brought and it was so grand. Like, you guys, the violin was playing and the organ, it was so loud, and it was just it just moved you. Like, I I felt like my heart was like fluttering, like it moved me to the point where I had tears in my eyes, and I was like, all right, we gotta pull it together, like we can't be crying all of mass. But um, I just let myself feel that, you guys. Like, if you feel I think my number one tip for anyone who is feeling like you don't hear God or you don't know what he's saying, or you don't know like how to hear him, it's just to be in touch with like your emotions and your feelings. More genuinely. I think that that has made a huge difference for me. It's just letting myself feel the things that come because I think for the longest time, like feelings would come over me and I'd be like, this is a placebo, or like, well, I'm just thinking this because that's what I want this to be, or like I'm just an emotional person, or whatever it is. And like, no, like God will speak to you through those moments. And I just think it's really special. And I saw like a Instagram post or TikTok or something that made me really sad the other day. It was like somebody asking God. It was like a flip-through, like one of those carousels, and it was like, I asked God to send me a sign, and a butterfly landed on me, but I brushed it away. And then it was like I asked God to send me a sign, and you know, a song came on, and I turned the channel. Like, you're not paying attention, like you're not, you're not zoning in close enough. Like, look for the signs and be accepting of them when they come. Don't second guess it. Don't think too hard. Don't blame it on something else. Just enjoy it. And there have been moments where I really have felt Jesus' presence, and it's okay to pray and ask him to be with you, right? And to invite him in. Like, invite him. When I feel anything, any sense of like anger overcoming me or anxiety overcoming me, I say, Holy Spirit, come. Invite, like literally, that's it. That's it. Holy Spirit, come. Jesus, come. Like, come save me. Come stand next to me. Come be with me. Like, come calm my nervous system. Like, invite him in. I don't know how he ended up on this tangent, but it wouldn't be a podcast episode without a Dana tangent. Like, let's come on. Um, but I'm gonna love you and leave you right there. I wish you guys the happiest and healthiest and holiest Easter weekend. I apologize for my podcast being up a little later this week. We need to talk about what's gonna happen um when I go. In two weeks, I'm on a vacation and I haven't decided if I'm just gonna upload my podcast, like schedule it early. I guess I could do that. There's just a lot going on, and I I don't mean to use these as an excuse, obviously, but I do want to keep you guys updated because I don't want y'all to be like, what's happening? Where's she going? Like, what's going on? My wedding is coming up in June, right? And I never like want to put that above this because I truly love what I do and I love sharing the Bible and sharing these stories, and I'm still gonna be in my Bible, so it's like, why not at least share? But it might be a little harder for me to get up the podcast weekly with the wedding and the shower and the bachelorette trip coming up as far as the podcast goes. But I am gonna try. I'm gonna try my very, very best. Okay. I have something really exciting coming up actually next Sunday, I think. Next Sunday, yes, I have a photo shoot happening for the podcast, which is very, very fun and exciting. Um, and so I will have new cover art finally. Oh my gosh, you guys, the cover art for this podcast has been driving me bonkers. I H-A-T-E it. Literally despise it, loathe it. I cannot stand it, and I'm so excited to have like a fun, bright, airy photo of like what I really want this podcast to embody. Like right now, it literally looks like Dr. Seuss himself designed it, but it's fine. Anywho, I love you guys so much and I'm so happy that you're here. Again, just hoping that this podcast, you know, this episode in particular, I should say, really helped you better understand the meaning behind Easter and Jesus', you know, journey through Holy Week and just all that he's done for us. Don't forget it. Please, please don't forget it. If you take away one thing from this episode, because I know there was a lot of babbling, like just remember that Jesus chose to die on the cross for you. So, like, what are you gonna do with that gift, right? Go and and share the gospel with somebody. I don't care if it's something as simple as like like writing a verse on a sticky note and putting it in the cup holder at your Planet Fitness treadmill. Like, do something, share it with a friend, okay? We can share this podcast with a friend. Yay! Like spread the word, tell people about Jesus, tell people about your Jesus and what he did for you and me and them. Okay. Just promise me you'll do that. Yes? Okay, perfect. Yay, love you. I love you, love you, love you so much. Um, I posted a lot to TikTok this week, so catch up over there if you haven't already. I will catch you guys next week for our very next episode. Until then, I love you. Jesus loves you. Take good care of yourselves.