Several years ago, I had occasion to open the top of the cavity that contains my water meter. The cavity is five or six cubic feet in volume and is usually dark and dank. Sometimes there are a few little creatures scuttling about, disturbed and wary. As I opened the lid, I noticed a hapless grasshopper that had wandered into this sinister subterranean chamber and had become entangled in a spider’s web. He looked rather pale, perhaps his vital juices already being withdrawn by this arachnid assassin.

The thought came to me that maybe I could save this creature by pulling him out of his entanglement. But, wait, maybe the spider might bite me too. Throwing danger to the wind, I plunged my hand into the abyss and lifted the unfortunate creature out. I placed him far away from the edge so he would not fall back into the spider’s trap. I thought how Jesus did that for us. He plunged Himself into a nightmare to rescue hopeless, hapless creatures and then placed them into a path toward eternity, away from eternal death and destruction.

“ Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them…….He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.” Hebrews 7:20-27

“ So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many….”  Hebrews 9:28