Isaiah 53:5-7
“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our inequities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—everyone—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the inequity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”
Thoughts from Pastor Josh
Dive Deeper
Behind the Scenes
Isaiah was one of the great Hebrew prophets. It is fitting that his name means “God Saves” because he predicted the coming of a suffering servant that would take the guilt on himself for all the evil, lies, corruption, selfishness and greed of men and women through the ages. God would pour out judgement on this single person, and the sacrifice by this suffering servant would redeem people and creation. The servant would be none other than the very Son of God himself.
God saves.
The world is broken. Job loss, house fires, floods, earthquakes, pandemics, cancer. People are broken. Adultery, betrayal, lies, corruption, oppression, ridicule, hate, murder, rape. I am broken. You are broken. As Isaiah writes in the verse today, we are all like sheep that have wandered away from our home pastures and gotten lost in the wilderness.
Yet Jesus Christ loved us so much that he, the Son of God, chose to come to earth and offer himself as a sacrifice in our place. He took the judgement meant for us. In ancient days, Hebrew priests took lambs and sacrificed them to cover the sins of the people. Isaiah refers to this suffering servant as a lamb. Jesus was the lamb offered for sacrifice. No priest forced him. Jesus did it willingly. He not only was beaten and nailed to a cross, but he suffered the wrath of God the Father. A wrath that by all standards of justice that should have fallen on us. And Jesus did it without a word of protest.
God Saves.
Make it Real
During this week leading to Easter, spend some time in reflection. Think about the wrongs in this world and the evil committed by people. Think of the bad things that have been committed against you. But also consider yourself, your actions, your thoughts. If we are brutally honest with ourselves, we see that we and the people around us are indeed broken. God is a just God so he can’t just ignore all the evil we do. That is the bad news.
But then consider this, we all are made in the image of God. We are God’s treasure. God loves us more then we can imagine. Before the creation of the world, God knew we would need help, so He sent His Son, Jesus, to save us. Reflect on these verses. This sacrifice by Jesus the suffering servant, Jesus the Lamb of God, removes all sin from us, past, present, and future. No more sacrifices, no more lambs needed. We are made holy. All we have to do is believe in Jesus and what he did and accept his Lordship over our lives. That is the good news. Immerse yourself in this love of God.
Johnny Spence
ACF Devo Team
End in Prayer
Hey God,
Help me take a moment today and consider your great love. Help me ponder the sacrifice of the one true lamb, the suffering servant, your Son Jesus Christ. Help me see that by believing in what Jesus did and making Him Lord of my life that I am holy, without fault in your eyes. Help me feel the healing power of Jesus in my life. Help me feel the cleansing of all guilt and evil from my soul. Help me celebrate this week and the weeks to come the true meaning of Easter. Help me always feel your love.
I love you God, Amen.