See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
Just as there were many who were appalled at him-
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and his form marred beyond human likeness—
so will he sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.
Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
This Jesus bore the sin of the world so that we do not have to die an eternal death. He paid the price though we did not deserve it. Still, to those called by God, we are worth the sacrifice of Jesus in the eyes of God the Father. Jesus was mocked, ridiculed, persecuted, beaten beyond recognition as anything human and tortured to death on a cross while bearing the pain of being separated from Our Father at his weakest moment. He was fully human and fully God. Because of His love for us, he suffered a pain that no one can imagine, and did it willingly for our sakes. Praise be to God through Jesus Christ his Son!
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
Just as there were many who were appalled at him-
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and his form marred beyond human likeness—
so will he sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.
Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
This Jesus bore the sin of the world so that we do not have to die an eternal death. He paid the price though we did not deserve it. Still, to those called by God, we are worth the sacrifice of Jesus in the eyes of God the Father. Jesus was mocked, ridiculed, persecuted, beaten beyond recognition as anything human and tortured to death on a cross while bearing the pain of being separated from Our Father at his weakest moment. He was fully human and fully God. Because of His love for us, he suffered a pain that no one can imagine, and did it willingly for our sakes. Praise be to God through Jesus Christ his Son!
4 comments:
These verses pretty much spell it out. Thanks for makin this post. W/ all a life's distractions, I needed to read this again.
I'm glad it was encouraging. It encouraged me yesterday. I wanted to put up a picture of Jesus on the cross from "The Passion", but they kept coming up too small. But that movie does a really good job of showing how disfigured Jesus really was after the beating he took. And as bad as the physical pain was, I can't imagine the emotional pain of being separated from God for the first time in all eternity, because of the sins of the world. Bearing the burden of sin when you've never sinned yourself, and then having the Father turn His back on you at your weakest moment because of the sin.
It really is hard to imagine what it was like for Him. And when I think of it and then remember all the times I've acted selfishly (and still do) I pretty much feel ashamed of myself. Fortunetly, He covers that as well and pulls me near in fellowship. Our God is a great God!
Does your (supposed) God believe in our occupation of Iraq?
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