Isaiah 53:4-5 (ESV)
4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed.
Jesus’ death on the cross. Do we really understand what took place on the most tragic and yet, at the same time, most triumphant, of days? It is only as we have divine revelation of all that took place on the cross of Jesus Christ, that we can live the life that Christ died to give us.
What does scripture say He bore on that cruelest death penalty ever created? Jesus bore our griefs (sicknesses, distresses, weaknesses, specifically our physical afflictions) and He carried our sorrows (pains and punishment). He was wounded for our transgressions (rebellion), He was bruised for our iniquities (guilt); the chastisement (punishment) for our peace (completeness; safety and soundness in body; peace with God) was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed (made healthful).
When Jesus died on the cross, He did more than pay the penalty for our sins. The penalty of sin is death. He did not need to suffer such a horrific death to accomplish this. Is. 53:4-5 explains why He suffered the way He did; He did not just want to remove the penalty of sin from us in eternity, He suffered to bear our griefs and sorrows. He suffered so that we could receive peace and healing. He suffered so that we could live whole and healed now, today, this moment in time, and for evermore. Jesus death on the cross provided more than an escape from eternal judgement, He made a way for us to live the abundant life now, here on earth. (John 10:10)
Spend time this week, asking Holy Spirit to give you divine revelation of all that Jesus accomplished on the cross, and to help you receive all that is yours through His death and resurrection. Meditate on Isaiah 53:4-5 and thank Jesus for all He has done for you. Choose to accept this great gift by faith, and then, with Holy Spirit’s leading, walk it out daily.
Prayer
Dear Jesus,
How can we ever thank and praise You enough, for all that You have done for us? Truly there is no God like You, no God but You. Holy Spirit, open our hearts to hear and understand all that You would reveal to us of the cross and of our Lord and Saviour. Enable us to grasp how wide and long, and how high and deep, is the love of Christ for us. Create in us a hunger and a thirst to know and understand the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled with the fulness of God. Enable us to walk in all that Jesus paid for on the cross, so that His glory would cover the earth, and that people would know Him, because we are alive.
In Jesus precious name we pray, amen.