If you fit into the Monday-through-Friday work week category, then you're probably familiar with this mindset:

The first day of the week on the job is the hardest. You have to settle back into the daily-grind. The end looks so far away, but you determine to make there. As each day passes, the goal slowly draws closer and hope rises. By Wednesday, things definitely look brighter. You permit yourself to think of the weekend and what you've got planned. Then the big day arrives: Friday. Just a few more hours and then… the weekend! Rest! Play! Do whatever you want to do!

This is the way normal people think. If you spend Saturday and Sunday looking forward to getting back to work on Monday, you're not normal (and perhaps you need to get a life).

Jesus also lived for Friday …but not in the same way. His whole life was lived so that He would be able to offer Himself a perfect sacrifice on that day.

Imagine when Jesus was born He was given an empty box, representing the things He would do in life. Every time He did a good deed, something valuable was put in the box. Whenever He had compassion on the poor, sick, and oppressed, whenever He spoke of the kingdom of God, whenever He did His Father's will, some gold or jewels were added to the box. By the end of His life, the box was a treasure chest full to the brim of righteousness. This was the treasure Jesus offered to God in His blood.

Imagine you were also given a similar empty box when you were born. You spend your life filling this box. Some of the things you put in you think are good, others you know are bad. By the end of your life, your box is also full.

Hopefully, by the time the box is full, you realize that there is nothing of any value in it. All you've collected is a bunch of filty rags (Isaiah 64:6). And this is all you shamefully have to offer God.

Salvation is the exchange of these boxes. You get Jesus' beautiful treasure chest which has only the riches of righteousness in it. He gets your fetid box of sins. Even after you are saved, you continue to pile in the repulsive stuff into the container given Him, but the one given you remains completely full of Jesus' righteousness.

It sounds unfair, but Jesus knew He was living His life on earth for this purpose. He purposely treasured up righteousness for you and me, looking forward to one particular Friday when He would willingly offer it up to His heavenly Father in His shed blood, …Who would then give it freely to us.

Think about this the next time you look forward to the weekend.