Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 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.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 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 its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression[a] and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.[b]
9 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.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes[c] his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life[d] and be satisfied[e];
by his knowledge[f] my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[g]
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,[h]
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.
The other day I was reading a devotional that really hit home to me. It made me stop and read all of Isaiah 53. Incredible gratitude poured out of me as I thought about all the suffering Jesus endured for not only my sins….but everyone’s! Think about how much that adds up to. It is punishment we deserve, but Jesus took it all!
There are days that I feel frustrated and put out. Either I was misunderstood, or perhaps I had to do extra work because of my disability. Yes, my attitude was certainly not that of gratitude. I feel heartsick knowing that I complain and whine over a little injustice instead of just counting my blessings.
When people say they want to be more Christ like….I often do not reflect on this incredible sacrifice. Sure, my head knows it….I can speak the words, but I often look past the absolute unfairness that Jesus had to die, a brutal death, due to my sins and yours. All of our sins were placed upon him. This chapter is a great reminder of this sacrifice.
It is my prayer that you take time to reflect on the incredible sacrifice Jesus made for you. When you feel unfairly treated, just think about the unfairness heaped on Christ’s head. God loves you so much that he was willing to sacrifice his own son for our eternal resting spot in heaven.