One day, God decided it was part of his plan to address the sin and rebellion of mankind that began in the Garden when Adam and Eve disobeyed him. He set a price that all would pay for the couple's action. Since then, the "buck" has been passed on and on, until it stopped with Jesus.
"Passing the Buck"
When we "pass the buck" and play the blame game, we shift the responsibility for an action or inaction to another person. You and I have passed the buck many times in our lives, and not a day goes by without politicians passing the buck.
This expression possibly originated from the game of poker. In poker, a marker of some kind is sometimes placed in front of the person responsible for dealing the cards. In the frontier days, it could have been a a knife with a buckhorn handle. If the dealer chose not to fulfill his responsibility, he could pass the responsibility by passing the "buck" to the next player.
"The buck stops here" is a phrase that was popularized by President Harry S. Truman, who kept a sign with that phrase in his office. The phrase refers to the notion that the President has to make the decisions and accept the ultimate responsibility for those decisions.
God the Father Made a Decision
On that fateful day described in the Book of Genesis, God Almighty decided it was part of his plan to address the sin and rebellion of mankind that began in the Garden when Adam and Eve disobeyed him. It was a simple and uncomplicated decision.
He would send his Son to be born and live as a human being, without having the same sinful and rebellious nature. However, to change the dynamic of mankind's fate, he demanded the opposite of what occurred in the Garden---ultimate obedience.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
The "buck" that Adam and Eve, the grave sin of prideful disobedience before God, their best and only friend, was passed onto to every generation that followed. That is, until God made the decision that changed the course of human history, and could change your life and my life, now and for eternity.
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:17)
Jesus Paid the Price
When Jesus Christ willingly went to the Cross in total obedience to the Father, and then rose from the dead, his role as the "new Adam" was complete. His sinlessness was sacrificed for our sinfulness. His resurrection was displayed for all to see, giving us hope.
Our source of hope is a gloriously simply one. Again:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
Jesus paid the price for every sin you and I have and will commit. Each of us has the ability to have him stop the "buck" in our lives by simply asking him to do so.
Yes, it was part of God the Father's plan to address the sin and rebellion of mankind that began in the Garden when Adam and Eve disobeyed him, by putting a price tag on each of us. But that price tag of that eternally costly "one buck" has been ripped off us by Jesus.
It's up to you and me to accept his divine generosity and thank him for stopping the "buck" that was passed on to us.