I was driving my family to a relative’s home when I was pulled over for speeding. I had been driving faster than the suspiciously low speed limit, so there wasn’t much I could say. But when I learned that my insurance rate would skyrocket due to the ticket, I contacted the village prosecutor and asked for a compromise. He agreed, and soon a court document arrived in the mail. It began, “Here comes Mr. Wallace, prosecutor for Oakville,” and explained that he would charge me with a lesser offense.

I laughed at the oddly informal opening line, “Here comes.” It seemed out of place in a legal document. But the more I think about it, the more it seems right. I was caught in a legal fix. There wasn’t anything I could do except pay the fine and warn my friends to avoid the speed trap that got me. But then the prosecutor came to my aid and found a way to honor the law without causing me ongoing financial woes.

This is roughly parallel to my relationship with God. I had recklessly blown past all His warning signs when He graciously stopped me in my tracks. I was in a legal jam, cursed along with “everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law” (Galatians 3:10). But here came Jesus, the willing substitute who “took upon Himself the curse for our wrongdoing” (Galatians 3:13).

Unlike the prosecutor, who only partially came to my defense, Jesus’ sacrifice is complete. Justice was entirely served upon Him so that I could go free—not to sin again, but to celebrate my new life as His son. And since I am His son, here comes His Spirit too! (Galatians 4:5-6).

Yes, here came Jesus, taking our sin and giving us life.

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: John 15:17–16:4