Read Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Isaiah 53:4-5 - 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.
As we read a few lessons ago, the prophecies for the Messiah were not all about strength and power and victory. Our Scripture reading today could seem like a complete defeat – but it is actually victory God’s way.
Messiah was coming, but He must first do a very difficult job. He must come to take care of our sin problem. Sin is such a problem because the only penalty for it is death. There is no sentence of prison time or payment or good work anyone can ever do to pay for even one sin. And once we are physically dead, the death sentence cannot be reversed unless our spirits have been made alive before our bodies died.
Jesus came to earth for one purpose – to die. He told Pilate at His trial that His purpose was Truth – and the most basic Truth is that sin causes death and there is only one way to escape death – Jesus.
Our Scripture reading says, in Verse 4, some may see God the Father as the cause of Jesus’ suffering – but the truth is, WE are the cause of Jesus’ suffering. He came to pay the price for us because of His great love for us.
*What makes you certain Jesus has given you eternal life and forgiveness?
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