"HE WAS DESPISED AND REJECTED OF MEN." He was oppressed and afflicted, wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him. The Father delivered Him up, Judas betrayed Him, and the soldiers crucified Him. Let us consider the design of God in His death. It was to satisfy the claims of justice, to uphold His holiness in the salvation of the people, to display His wisdom, to manifest His mercy, to put away our sins, and to disclose the wonders of His love. Let us notice what Jesus displayed when He was crucified. Here we see His filial obedience to His Father, His implicit trust in God, His surpassing patience under suffering, His meek forgiving spirit, His astonishing love to His people, and His entire submission to the divine will. Let us observe what man discovered in this transaction. What base ingratitude! What brutal cruelty! What insolent pride! What folly in ignorance! Judas betrayed his treachery and greed; the Pharisees revealed their envy and cruelty under the cloak of self-righteousness; Pilate the coward retreated under the fear of man; the disciples showed the weakness which resides in cowardly hearts. Here, Jehovah's love is most clearly revealed. The sinfulness of sin is set forth. Go to the cross and look to the Saviour. Repent, believe, and be saved. This is God's way of salvation: one way and no other.

For Meditation:
In the cross, in the cross,
Be my vision glorious;
All my sins are washed away,
In the blood of Jesus.