JAN 30 

Isaiah 53:5
Memorise Isaiah 53:5
“he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities…” 

Isaiah 53 is one of the most poignant and stirring passages of Old Testament prophetic literature. In this we see the prophecies concerning the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ. We read of how He was rejected by the very people whom He came to save (v. 1-3); yet suffered most excruciatingly for our sins (v. 4-6), was killed as a lamb to the slaughter (v. 7-9), and through this great sacrifice, God’s wrath is appeased, and many shall be justified (v. 10-12). 

Zooming in to verses 4-6, we have a moving picture of the substitutionary atonement of Christ. He bore our griefs and sorrows, and through his death, we are healed. Notice the emphasis on man’s role in Christ’s sufferings, for it is our griefs, our sorrows, our transgressions, our iniquities, chastisement of our peace, the iniquity of us all. We are the sole cause for our Saviour’s sufferings and death on the cross. It was all because of us that He went to the cross to shed his precious blood to die for our sins. 

Yet in response, we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God. Instead of gratitude, men walked past Jesus on the cross and ‘reviled him, wagging their heads’ (Matthew 27:39). They derided Him as a common criminal, when in fact they could not be further from the truth. He was the one person who had never committed a single crime, the only sinless man ever to live. Yet this same mocking continues on today, as men hear of Christ and scoff, shake their head, and walk away. Likewise, we were all like sheep that have gone astray, living in sin and doing that which is right in our eyes. 

And so there on the cross, God, as the righteous judge, laid our iniquity upon Christ. On behalf of sinful man, Christ took the blame, suffered all the pain and agony - not only of the physical pain of death, but the weight of the sins of us all. Through this great sacrifice, by His stripes, we are healed. Healed not simply of our sickness and illnesses, heart disease and diabetes, as what some charismatic would preach, but of the sickness and consequence of our sin. Whereas without Christ we would be doomed to not just physical death but also the second death for eternity, in Christ we are healed, and no longer have to die a second time. Instead through Him we have the hope of the glorified body, and eternity in heaven with God. 

Thought: Christ’s sorrow is the foundation of our joy.
Prayer: Lord, amazing love that it was for me that through the sufferings and death of Christ, we can be saved.