Saturday

Isaiah 53:7-12
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 her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
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.
Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
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.

Isaiah foretells the coming of God's chosen one, who will save His people from their sins. Because of His love for His Father and for us, Jesus was willing to undergo incredible suffering.

Scripture tells us that the wages of sin is death -- but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. He took our sins upon Himself and died our death. Isaiah states this truth throughout this short passage:

"...For the transgression of My people He was stricken..."

"The Lord makes His life a guilt offering..."

"He will bear our iniquities..."

"...He poured out His life unto death...He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

Through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, we can live our lives free and forgiven. Our relationship with God is restored, and we experience His love and presence in our lives. We can never repay Jesus for what He has done...it is impossible. But we can thank Him. We can thank Him and live our lives in a way that brings honor and glory to Him. We can give ourselves to the One who gave Himself for us.

BJ-I

Friday

Isaiah 53:1-6

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 men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

Lent is different from Advent. Preparing to remember the death of God -- even when we know the Resurrection follows -- is not like preparing to remember God coming to live with us.

We sang, "O come let us adore Him" at Christmas, remember?

But who wants to look at, let alone adore, a man who's been beaten until he's bloody and bruised with nails driven into his hands and feet?

We, just like Jesus' followers and family, look away from Him in horror.

But all He suffered, all the ugliness that makes me hide from the crucifixion, is for me, for you. His punishment...the punishment we deserve for our many turnings away from God ... is for our sakes. Its purpose is to bring peace and healing to us. From the foggy dark of Ash Wednesday to the sunshine and flowers of Easter, the season of Lent helps us recognize our sin, His suffering and the redemption His suffering has won for us.

MLA

Thursday

Isaiah 52:11-15
Depart, depart, go out from there!
Touch no unclean thing!
Come out from it and be pure,
you who carry the vessels of the LORD.
But you will not leave in haste
or go in flight;
for the LORD will go before you,
the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
Just as there were many who were appalled at him—
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and his form marred beyond human likeness—
so will he sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.

So does God go before us or does He stand behind us? And the answer that Isaiah gives to that question is "Yes."

Using the imagery of battle, God is the scout who spies out the territory ahead of us and takes the brunt of the first shots of battle, and He is the reargard who protects us from unexpected attacks from behind.

The Servant as Warrior then bears all the scars of battle. "Marred more than any man." Veterans of wars between nations have, through the centuries, returned to their homes marked with amputations, burns and all kinds of hideous injuries and blemishes. This Servant, though, suffered more than any -- perhaps because He was less deserving than any to receive harm.

Yet this Servant will cause Kings to "shut their mouths." He will prosper and be exalted.

This is a passage of paradox. How can the Servant be victim and victor? (How can God be before us and behind us?) How can we possibly understand such things? I really don't know. But Isaiah assures us that we will understand.