This is the last week of Lent, also called Passion Week, and I have been reading and reflecting on the last days of Christ and His crucifixion.
I will be forever grateful for Christ’s willingness to go through the agony of carrying our sins (the sins of more than six billion people), and to suffer extreme physical pain — the torture of being whipped and nailed to the cross — and rejection and loneliness. When I think about the love He has for each one of us, I want to prostrate myself on the floor before Him and worship Him.
He went through all of this because we are sinful. However, we can be healed and experience His immense love. We can experience His power, grace, and wisdom every moment of the day and every day of our lives.
Let’s take a look at parts of verses 3 and 5 of Isaiah chapter 53 and reflect on His suffering.
Verse 3: “He was hated and rejected by people.” I find it much easier to be rejected by people who don’t know me, but when I am rejected by relatives or a friend I thought was loyal to me, that really hurts. We know that Christ experienced this, as His disciples all left Him. He too was rejected.
Verse 3: “He experienced much pain and sorrow.” I would venture to say that you have experienced some deep sorrow in your life. Because of Lou Gehrig’s disease, every muscle in my strong brother’s body deteriorated until all he could do was blink his eyes. Watching him struggle to eat and trying to make us understand what he was trying to say was one of the most sorrowful situations I have ever experienced. He had gone from using canes, to a walker, to a scooter, and finally to a wheelchair. It was sorrowful.
Jesus was with him every moment of every day, strengthening him and us and giving us courage. He has experienced every sorrow we have and ever will go through.
Verse 5: “He was wounded for the wrong things WE did. He was crushed for the evil things we did. The punishment which made us well, was given to Him, And we are healed because of His wounds.”
By Katherine Kehler
Used by Permission
Further Reading
• The Easter Story – the story of Christ’s death and resurrection
• Jesus’ Resurrection: Fact or Fiction?
• Who’s Got the Body? A short, documented examination of evidences for Jesus’ resurrection. By Rusty Wright
• Why Do Christians Celebrate Easter by Dr. James L. Wilson
• At the Foot of the Cross – Powerful Poem
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