Retracing Jesus’ Steps to Easter, Part 5
“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 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. Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. 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.”
Isaiah 53:1-5 (NIV)
Ever wonder why they call today ‘Good Friday’? How could such suffering ever be considered good? The prophet Isaiah described the suffering of Christ in Isaiah 53 over 700 years before the crucifixion. Amazingly, this chapter and Psalm 22 give us a more vivid account of His death than any other part of the Bible. Notice how the emphasis changes in the first few verses from the last two. In the first half, we read a description of the coming Messiah. His coming would be met with disbelief. Later in the New Testament, John 1:10-11 (NLT) tells us, “He (Jesus) came into the very world He created, but the world didn’t recognize Him. He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him.” Not only would they reject Him, but they would despise Him. Isaiah called Jesus a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. The New King James translation says, He was acquainted with grief. This means that Jesus understands our sorrows.
This is where the emphasis shifts from the personal pronouns describing Jesus in verses one through three to an emphasis on the plural pronouns in verses four and five, where it says, “He took up our pain and bore our suffering … 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.”
Isaiah is telling us that Jesus did not die because of anything He had done, but because of what we had done. Even when deciding His case for a capital offence, the Governor, Pontius Pilot, said three separate times, “I find no fault in Him at all!” (John 18:38; 19:4; 19:6) Then why? Why did He have to die? Because the only ground on which God can forgive sin is through the Cross of Christ. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:22b (NLT), “For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.”
In his classic devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers writes, “Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony of Calvary. … Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace; it cost God the Cross of Jesus Christ before He could forgive sin and remain a holy God. … Never build your preaching on the fact that God is our Father, and He will forgive us because He loves us. It is untrue to Jesus Christ’s revelation of God; it makes the Cross unnecessary, and the Redemption ‘much ado about nothing.’ If God does forgive sin, it is because of the death of Christ. God could forgive men in no other way than by the death of His Son … Jesus Christ hates the wrong in man, and Calvary is the estimate of His hatred. … It is shallow nonsense to say that God forgives us because He is love. The love of God means Calvary, and nothing less; the love of God is spelt on the Cross and nowhere else. The only ground on which God can forgive me is through the Cross of my Lord.”
This is why they call it “Good Friday.” He paid the debt He did not owe for a price we could not pay. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (NLT) Have you received that free gift? You can today. Are you ready? Here’s a prayer you can start with:
“Dear God, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for me so that I may be forgiven and receive Your free gift of eternal life. I know I don’t deserve Your forgiveness and could never earn it. Today, I ask You to forgive me of my sins. I receive Your free gift of eternal life. Jesus, thank You so much for loving me and giving Your life for me. I accept You today as my personal Savior and choose to follow You as my Lord. Thank You for saving me today and for all eternity!” In Jesus name, Amen.
Join us for an Easter Service at Woodlands Church to celebrate your new life in Christ! Check our website for service times and locations at www.woodlandseaster.org!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.